Mutant hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase polypeptides and methods of use

ABSTRACT

Compositions and methods for conferring hydroxyphenyl pyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) herbicide resistance or tolerance to plants are provided. Compositions include amino acid sequences, and variants and fragments thereof, for mutant HPPD polypeptides. Nucleic acids that encode the mutant HPPD polypeptides are also provided. Methods for conferring herbicide resistance or tolerance, particularly resistance or tolerance to certain classes of herbicides that inhibit HPPD, in plants are further provided. Methods are also provided for selectively controlling weeds in a field at a crop locus and for the assay, characterization, identification and selection of the mutant HPPDs of the current invention that provide herbicide tolerance.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

Priority is claimed to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/224,661, filed Jul. 10, 2009, and to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/146,513, filed Jan. 22, 2009, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to mutant hydroxyphenyl pyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) polypeptides that confer herbicide resistance or tolerance to plants and the nucleic acid sequences that encode them. Methods of the invention relate to the production and use of plants that express these mutant HPPD polypeptides and that are resistant to HPPD herbicides.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenases (HPPDs) are enzymes that catalyze the reaction in which para-hydroxyphenylpyruvate (HPP) is transformed into homogentisate. This reaction takes place in the presence of enzyme-bound iron (Fe²⁺) and oxygen. Herbicides that act by inhibiting HPPD are well known, and include isoxazoles, diketonitriles, triketones, and pyrazolinates (Hawkes “Hydroxyphenylpyruvate Dioxygenase (HPPD) The Herbicide Target.” In Modern Crop Protection Compounds. Eds. Krämer and Schirmer. Weinheim, Germany: Wiley-VCH, 2007. Ch. 4.2, pp. 211-220). Inhibition of HPPD blocks the biosynthesis of plastoquinone (PQ) from tyrosine. PQ is an essential cofactor in the biosynthesis of carotenoid pigments which are essential for photoprotection of the photosynthetic centres. HPPD-inhibiting herbicides are phloem-mobile bleachers which cause the light-exposed new meristems and leaves to emerge white. In the absence of carotenoids, chlorophyll is photo-destroyed and becomes itself an agent of photo-destruction via the photo-generation of singlet oxygen.

Methods are also known for providing plants that are tolerant to HPPD herbicides and have included: 1) overexpressing the HPPD enzyme so as to produce quantities of HPPD enzyme in the plant that are sufficient in relation to a given herbicide so as to have enough of the functional enzyme available despite the presence of its inhibitor; and 2) mutating the target HPPD enzyme into a functional HPPD that is less sensitive to herbicides. With respect to mutant HPPDs, while a given mutant HPPD enzyme may provide a useful level of tolerance to some HPPD-inhibitor herbicides, the same mutant HPPD may be quite inadequate to provide commercial levels of tolerance to a different, more desirable HPPD-inhibitor herbicide (See, e.g., U.S. App. Pub. No. 2004/0058427; and PCT App. Pub. Nos. WO 98/20144 and WO 02/46387; see also U.S. App. Pub. No. 2005/0246800 relating to identification and labelling of soybean varieties as being relatively HPPD tolerant). For example, HPPD-inhibitor herbicides may differ in terms of the spectrum of weeds they control, their manufacturing cost, and their environmental benefits.

Accordingly, new methods and compositions for conferring HPPD herbicide tolerance upon various crops and crop varieties are needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Compositions and methods for conferring hydroxyphenyl pyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) herbicide resistance or tolerance to plants are provided. The compositions include nucleotide and amino acid sequences for mutant HPPD polypeptides. The polypeptides of the invention are mutant HPPDs that have HPPD enzymatic activity and that confer resistance or tolerance in plants to certain classes of herbicides that inhibit HPPD. In one embodiment, the compositions of the invention comprise a mutant HPPD polypeptide having at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:27, where the polypeptide has HPPD enzymatic activity, and where the polypeptide contains one or more amino acid additions, substitutions, or deletions selected from the group consisting of:

1) R(K,A,R)SQI(Q,E)T (SEQ ID NO:28), wherein the first Q is replaced with any other amino acid, particularly with A, G, M, T, S, C, R, F and more particularly with P;

2) R(K,A,R)SQI(Q,E)T (SEQ ID NO:28), wherein I is replaced with any other amino acid, particularly with V, S, A, P, T, L or G;

3) (P,A,S)G(V,L)QH(I,L,M) (SEQ ID NO:29), wherein Q is replaced with any other amino acid, particularly with N, R, G, A, S, T, E or C, and more particularly with A or H;

4) G(I,V) LVD(R,K)D (SEQ ID NO:30), wherein L is replaced with any other amino acid, particularly with M or A;

5) ESGLN(S,G) (SEQ ID NO:31), wherein L is replaced with any other amino acid, particularly with M, H, G, F, C or 1, and more particularly with M;

6) F(A,S)EF(T,V) (SEQ ID NO:32), wherein (A,S) is replaced with any amino acid, particularly with W, G, M, F, Y or H;

7) G(I,V) LVD(R,K)D (SEQ ID NO:30) and ESGLN(S,G) (SEQ ID NO:31), where L in both sequences is replaced with M;

8) EVELYGDVV (SEQ ID NO:37), wherein Y is replaced with any other amino acid, particularly with D, V, E, K, or A;

9) RFDHVVGNV (SEQ ID NO:38), wherein the first V is replaced with any other amino acid; such as I, A, M, or C;

10) DHVVGNVPE (SEQ ID NO:39), wherein G is replaced with any other amino acid; such as H or C;

11) HVVGNVPEM (SEQ ID NO:40), wherein N is replaced with any other amino acid; such as C;

12) NVPEMAPVI (SEQ ID NO:41), wherein M is replaced with any other amino acid; such as L;

13) GFHEFAEFT (SEQ ID NO:42), wherein F is replaced with any other amino acid; such as M, I, or L;

14) GTTESGLNS (SEQ ID NO:43), wherein S is replaced with any other amino acid; such as T;

15) TTESGLNSV (SEQ ID NO:44), wherein G is replaced with any other amino acid; such as R, S, or A;

16) ESGLNSVVL (SEQ ID NO:45), wherein N is replaced with any other amino acid; such as R or M;

17) GLNSVVLAN (SEQ ID NO:46), wherein the first V is replaced with any other amino acid; such as M, I, A, or K;

18) LNSVVLANN (SEQ ID NO:47), wherein V is replaced with any other amino acid; such as I;

19) SEAVLLPLN (SEQ ID NO:48), wherein L is replaced with any other amino acid; such as V or K;

20) EAVLLPLNE (SEQ ID NO:49), wherein L is replaced with any other amino acid; such as M or F;

21) VLLPLNEPV (SEQ ID NO:50), wherein the third L is replaced with any other amino acid; such as I, M, or V;

22) LLPLNEPVH (SEQ ID NO:51), wherein N is replaced with any other amino acid; such as A;

23) HGTKRRSQI (SEQ ID NO:52), wherein R is replaced with any other amino acid; such as G;

24) SQIQTYLEY (SEQ ID NO:53), wherein T is replaced with any other amino acid; such as E;

25) QIQTYLEYH (SEQ ID NO:54), wherein Y is replaced with any other amino acid; such as F;

26) GVQHIALAS (SEQ ID NO:55), wherein I is replaced with any other amino acid; such as M, L, or V;

27) GFEFMAPPQ (SEQ ID NO:57), wherein M is replaced with any other amino acid; such as Q or L;

28) FEFMAPPQA (SEQ ID NO:58), wherein the first A is replaced with any other amino acid; such as S, P, D, R, N, Y, K, or H;

29) FMAPPQAKY (SEQ ID NO:59), wherein P is replaced with any other amino acid; such as A or R;

30) QAKYYEGVR (SEQ ID NO:60), wherein Y is replaced with any other amino acid; such as K, R, D, Q, or E;

31) GVRRIAGDV (SEQ ID NO:61), wherein I is replaced with any other amino acid; such as R or L;

32) VLLQIFTKP (SEQ ID NO:62), wherein I is replaced with any other amino acid; such as V;

33) LLQIFTKPV (SEQ ID NO:63), wherein F is replaced with any other amino acid; such as L;

34) LQIFTKPVG (SEQ ID NO:64), wherein T is replaced with any other amino acid; such as S, P, D, R, N, Y, or H;

35) IFTKPVGDR (SEQ ID NO:65), wherein P is replaced with any other amino acid; such as N;

36) RPTFFLEMI (SEQ ID NO:66), wherein F is replaced with any other amino acid; such as L;

37) FLEMIQRIG (SEQ ID NO:67), wherein I is replaced with any other amino acid; such as V or C;

38) GGCGGFGKG (SEQ ID NO:68), wherein the fourth G is replaced with any other amino acid; such as A, S, or T;

39) GGFGKGNFS (SEQ ID NO:69), wherein K is replaced with any other amino acid; such as L, A, E, or V;

40) GFGKGNFSE (SEQ ID NO:70), wherein G is replaced with any other amino acid; such as I;

41) FGKGNFSEL (SEQ ID NO:71), wherein N is replaced with any other amino acid; such as I;

42) KGNFSELFK (SEQ ID NO:72), wherein S is replaced with any other amino acid; such as N, G, K, or Q;

43) GNFSELFKS (SEQ ID NO:73), wherein E is replaced with any other amino acid; such as Q;

44) ELFKSIEDY (SEQ ID NO:74), wherein S is replaced with any other amino acid; such as A;

45) LFKSIEDYE (SEQ ID NO:75), wherein I is replaced with any other amino acid; such as L or F;

46) HVVGNVPEM (SEQ ID NO:40), wherein N is replaced with any other amino acid, particularly a C, and the amino acid sequence ELGVLVDRD (SEQ ID NO:76), wherein the second L is replaced with any other amino acid, particularly an M;

47) LNSVVLANN (SEQ ID NO:47), wherein the second V is replaced with any other amino acid, particularly an I, and the amino acid sequence ELGVLVDRD (SEQ ID NO:76), wherein the second L is replaced with any other amino acid, particularly an M;

48) VLLPLNEPV (SEQ ID NO:50), wherein the third L is replaced with any other amino acid, particularly an M, and the amino acid sequence VLLQIFTKP (SEQ ID NO:62), wherein I is replaced with any other amino acid, particularly a V;

49) GGCGGFGKG (SEQ ID NO:68), wherein the fourth G is replaced with any other amino acid, particularly a T, and the amino acid sequence ELGVLVDRD (SEQ ID NO:76), wherein the second L is replaced with any other amino acid, particularly an M;

50) FHEFAEFTAED (SEQ ID NO:76), wherein the first A, the second E, and the second F are replaced with any other amino acid, particularly where the A is replaced with an S or a W, the E is replaced with a T, and/or the F is replaced with an A or a V;

51) HGTKRRSQIQ (SEQ ID NO:77), wherein the first R is replaced with any other amino acid, particularly with a K, and the second R is deleted;

52) GTKRRSQIQ (SEQ ID NO:78), wherein the second R is deleted;

53) FMAPPQAKY (SEQ ID NO:59), wherein the second P is deleted;

54) GNFSELFKS (SEQ ID NO:73), wherein the E is deleted;

55) GVRRIAGDV (SEQ ID NO:61), wherein the I is deleted;

56) DQGVLLQIFTKP (SEQ ID NO:79), wherein the first L and the I are replaced with any other amino acid, particularly where the A is replaced with an M and/or the I is replaced with an L;

57) GKGNFSELFK (SEQ ID NO:80), wherein the F and the S are replaced with any other amino acid, particularly where the F is replaced with a G and/or the S is replaced with an A;

58) KGNFSELFKS (SEQ ID NO:56), wherein the first S and the E are replaced with any other amino acid, particularly where the S is replaced with an N, G, or K and/or the E is replaced with an S or an A;

59) GGCGGFGKG (SEQ ID NO:68) wherein the K is replaced with any other amino acid, such as T, S, Q, L, A, I, H, E, G, M, C or V, preferably T;

60) GGCGGFGKG (SEQ ID NO:68), wherein the sixth G is replaced with any other amino acid, such as R, E, D, H, M, F, W, N, or C, preferably H or C;

61) ESGLN(S,G) (SEQ ID NO:31), wherein the first G is replaced with any other amino acid, particularly with R, S, or A; and

62) VLLPLNEPV (SEQ ID NO:50), wherein the second L is replaced with any other amino acid, such as M, F, or V.

In another embodiment, the compositions of the invention comprise a mutant HPPD polypeptide having at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:14 or to SEQ ID NO:27, where the polypeptide has HPPD enzymatic activity, and where the polypeptide contains one or more amino acid substitutions selected from the group consisting of:

1) R(K,A,R)SQI(Q,E)T (SEQ ID NO:28), wherein I is replaced with any other amino acid, particularly with V, S, A, P, T, L or G;

2) (P,A,S)G(V,L)QH(I,L,M) (SEQ ID NO:29), wherein Q is replaced with any other amino acid, particularly with N, R, G, A, S, T, E or C, and more particularly with A or H;

3) G(I,V) LVD(R,K)D (SEQ ID NO:30), wherein L is replaced with any other amino acid, particularly with M or A;

4) ESGLN(S,G) (SEQ ID NO:31), wherein L is replaced with any other amino acid, particularly with M, H, G, F, C or I, and more particularly with M;

5) F(A,S)EF(T,V) (SEQ ID NO:32), wherein (A,S) is replaced with any amino acid, particularly with W, G, M, F, Y or H;

6) RFDHVVGNV (SEQ ID NO:38), wherein the first V is replaced with any other amino acid, such as I, A, M, or C;

7) GLNSVVLAN (SEQ ID NO:46), wherein the first V is replaced with any other amino acid, such as M, I, A, or K;

8) VLLPLNEPV (SEQ ID NO:50), wherein the third L is replaced with any other amino acid, such as I, M, or V;

9) GFEFMAPPQ (SEQ ID NO:57), wherein M is replaced with any other amino acid, such as Q or L;

10) FEFMAPPQA (SEQ ID NO:58), wherein the first A is replaced with any other amino acid, such as S, P, D, R, N, Y, K, or H;

11) GGCGGFGKG (SEQ ID NO:68), wherein the fourth G is replaced with any other amino acid, such as A, S, or T;

12) GGCGGFGKG (SEQ ID NO:68) wherein the K is replaced with any other amino acid, such as T, S, Q, L, A, I, H, E, G, M, C or V, preferably T;

13) GGCGGFGKG (SEQ ID NO:68), wherein the sixth G is replaced with any other amino acid, such as R, E, D, H, M, F, W, N, or C, preferably H or C;

14) ESGLN(S,G) (SEQ ID NO:31), wherein the first G is replaced with any other amino acid, particularly with R, S, or A; and

15) VLLPLNEPV (SEQ ID NO:50), wherein the second L is replaced with any other amino acid, such as M, F, or V.

Exemplary mutant HPPD polypeptides according to the invention correspond to the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NOS:14-26, and variants and fragments thereof. Nucleic acid molecules comprising polynucleotide sequences that encode the mutant HPPD polypeptides of the invention are further provided, e.g., SEQ ID NOS:1-13. Compositions also include expression cassettes comprising a promoter operably linked to a nucleotide sequence that encodes a mutant HPPD polypeptide of the invention, alone or in combination with one or more additional nucleic acid molecules encoding polypeptides that confer desirable traits. Transformed plants, plant cells, and seeds comprising an expression cassette of the invention are further provided.

The compositions of the invention are useful in methods directed to conferring herbicide resistance or tolerance to plants, particularly resistance or tolerance to certain classes of herbicides that inhibit HPPD. In particular embodiments, the methods comprise introducing into a plant at least one expression cassette comprising a promoter operably linked to a nucleotide sequence that encodes a mutant HPPD polypeptide of the invention. As a result, the mutant HPPD polypeptide is expressed in the plant, and the mutant HPPD is less sensitive to HPPD-inhibiting herbicides, thereby leading to resistance or tolerance to HPPD-inhibiting herbicides.

Methods of the present invention also comprise selectively controlling weeds in a field at a crop locus. In one embodiment, such methods involve over-the-top pre- or postemergence application of weed-controlling amounts of HPPD herbicides in a field at a crop locus that contains plants expressing the mutant HPPD polypeptides of the invention. In other embodiments, methods are also provided for the assay, characterization, identification, and selection of the mutant HPPDs of the current invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows Km and Vmax values of the Avena-derived HPPD polypeptide corresponding to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:14.

FIGS. 2A-2B show on rate (FIG. 2A) and off rate (FIG. 2B) determinations for a complex of structure B with the HPPD polypeptide corresponding to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:14.

FIG. 3 shows an off rate determination for a complex of structure D with the HPPD polypeptide corresponding to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:14.

FIGS. 4A-4C show off rate determinations at ice temperature for complexes of structure B with the HPPD polypeptides corresponding to the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO:14 (FIG. 4A), 24 (FIG. 4B), and 26 (FIG. 4C).

FIG. 5 shows mesotrione inhibition of pyomelanin formation by E. coli BL21 expressing different variants of HPPD. Left bar=(error range for n=3) average A 430 nm with zero mesotrione present in the medium and right bar=(n=3) average A 430 nm with 12.5 ppm present in the medium. Control is pET24 empty vector where no HPPD is expressed.

FIG. 6 shows a representation of binary vector 17146 for soybean transformation, conferring HPPD resistance with a soybean codon optimized Oat HPPD gene encoding SEQ ID NO:24. This binary vector also contains double PAT selectable markers for glufosinate selection.

FIG. 7 shows a representation of binary vector 17147 for soybean transformation conferring HPPD resistance with a soybean codon optimized Oat HPPD gene encoding SEQ ID NO:24 and also conferring tolerance to glyphosate (selectable marker).

FIG. 8 shows a representation of binary vector 15764 containing a soybean codon optimized Oat HPPD gene (encoding SEQ ID NO:14) driven by the TMV omega enhancer and a TATA box.

FIG. 9 shows a representation of binary vector 17149 for soybean transformation conferring tolerance to HPPD herbicides and to glufosinate, containing an expression cassette expressing an HPPD variant (SEQ ID NO:26) along with two PAT gene cassettes.

FIGS. 10A-10D depict the time-dependence of inhibition of a mutant of HPPD (G408A) by herbicide compounds B (FIGS. 10A-10B) and C (FIGS. 10C-10D).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides compositions and methods directed to conferring hydroxyphenyl pyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) herbicide resistance or tolerance to plants. Compositions include amino acid sequences for mutant HPPD polypeptides having HPPD enzymatic activity, and variants and fragments thereof. Nucleic acids that encode the mutant HPPD polypeptides of the invention are also provided. Methods for conferring herbicide resistance or tolerance to plants, particularly resistance or tolerance to certain classes of herbicides that inhibit HPPD, are further provided. Methods are also provided for selectively controlling weeds in a field at a crop locus and for the assay, characterization, identification and selection of the mutant HPPDs of the current invention that provide herbicide tolerance.

Within the context of the present invention the terms hydroxy phenyl pyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD), 4-hydroxy phenyl pyruvate dioxygenase (4-HPPD) and p-hydroxy phenyl pyruvate dioxygenase (p-HPPD) are synonymous.

“HPPD herbicides” are herbicides that are bleachers and whose primary site of action is HPPD. Many are well known and described elsewhere herein and in the literature (Hawkes “Hydroxyphenylpyruvate Dioxygenase (HPPD)—The Herbicide Target.” In Modern Crop Protection Compounds. Eds. Krämer and Schirmer. Weinheim, Germany: Wiley-VCH, 2007. Ch. 4.2, pp. 211-220; Edmunds “Hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) Inhibitors: Triketones.” In Modern Crop Protection Compounds. Eds. Krämer and Schirmer. Weinheim, Germany: Wiley-VCH, 2007. Ch. 4.2, pp. 221-242). As used herein, the term “HPPD herbicides” refers to herbicides that act either directly or indirectly to inhibit HPPD, where the herbicides are bleachers, and where inhibition of HPPD is at least part of the herbicide's mode of action on plants.

As used herein, plants which are substantially “tolerant” to a herbicide exhibit, when treated with said herbicide, a dose/response curve which is shifted to the right when compared with that exhibited by similarly subjected non tolerant like plants. Such dose/response curves have “dose” plotted on the x-axis and “percentage kill or damage”, “herbicidal effect” etc. plotted on the y-axis. Tolerant plants will typically require at least twice as much herbicide as non tolerant like plants in order to produce a given herbicidal effect. Plants which are substantially “resistant” to the herbicide exhibit few, if any, necrotic, lytic, chlorotic or other lesions or, at least, none that impact significantly on yield, when subjected to the herbicide at concentrations and rates which are typically employed by the agricultural community to kill weeds in the field.

As used herein, “non-transgenic-like plants” are plants that are similar or the same as transgenic plants but that do not contain a transgene conferring herbicide resistance.

As used herein, the term “confer” refers to providing a characteristic or trait, such as herbicide tolerance or resistance and/or other desirable traits to a plant.

As described elsewhere herein, the term “heterologous” means from another source. In the context of DNA, “heterologous” refers to any foreign “non-self” DNA including that from another plant of the same species. For example, in the present application a soybean HPPD gene that was transgenically expressed back into a soybean plant would still be described as “heterologous” DNA.

The article “a” and “an” are used herein to refer to one or more than one (i.e., to at least one) of the grammatical object of the article. By way of example, “an element” means one or more element. Throughout the specification the word “comprising,” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising,” will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.

A variety of additional terms are defined or otherwise characterized herein.

HPPD Sequences

The compositions of the invention include isolated or substantially purified mutant HPPD polynucleotides and polypeptides as well as host cells comprising mutant HPPD polynucleotides. Specifically, the present invention provides mutant HPPD polypeptides that have HPPD enzymatic activity and that confer resistance or tolerance in plants to certain classes of herbicides that inhibit HPPD, and variants and fragments thereof. Nucleic acids that encode the mutant HPPD polypeptides of the invention are also provided.

Mutant HPPD polypeptides of the presenting invention have amino acid changes at one or more positions relative to the starting wild type sequence from which they are derived, and exhibit enhanced tolerance to one or more HPPD inhibitor herbicides. HPPD enzymes that exhibit enhanced tolerance to an HPPD herbicide may do so by virtue of exhibiting, relative to the like unmutated starting enzyme:

a) a lower Km value for the natural substrate, 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate;

b) a higher kcat value for converting 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate to homogentisate;

c) a lower value of the rate constant, kon, governing formation of an enzyme: HPPD inhibitor herbicide complex;

d) an increased value of the rate constant, koff, governing dissociation of an enzyme: HPPD inhibitor herbicide complex; and/or

e) as a result of changes in one or both of c) and d), an increased value of the equilibrium constant, Ki (also called Kd), governing dissociation of an enzyme: HPPD inhibitor herbicide complex. DNA sequences encoding such improved mutated HPPDs are used in the provision of HPPD plants, crops, plant cells and seeds of the current invention that offer enhanced tolerance or resistance to one or more HPPD herbicides as compared to like plants likewise expressing the unmutated starting enzyme.

Increases in the value of koff are of particular value in improving the ability of HPPD to confer resistance to a HPPD herbicide. As one example, compounds B and C exhibit similar Kd values with respect to the HPPD variant of SEQ ID NO:14 but differ in that the koff value for compound B is about 10-fold greater as compared to the koff value for compound C, and plants expressing SEQ ID NO:14 show superior resistance to compound B than to compound C.

Site-directed mutations of genes encoding plant-derived HPPDs are selected so as to encode amino acid changes selected from the list below either singly or in combination. Genes encoding such mutant forms of plant HPPDs are useful for making crop plants resistant to herbicides that inhibit HPPD. Plant HPPD genes so modified are especially suitable for use in transgenic plants in order to confer herbicide tolerance or resistance upon crop plants.

Many HPPD sequences are known in the art and can be used to generate mutant HPPD sequences by making the corresponding amino acid substitutions, deletions, and additions described herein. The HPPD amino acid sequence of Avena sativa is set forth in SEQ ID NO:27. A single deletion variant of the Avena sativa HPPD is set forth in SEQ ID NO:14. Thus, a known or suspected HPPD sequence can be aligned with, for example, SEQ ID NO:14 or SEQ ID NO:27 using standard sequence alignment tools, and the corresponding amino acid substitutions, deletions, and/or additions described herein with respect to SEQ ID NO:14 or to SEQ ID NO:27 can be made in the reference sequence.

In one embodiment, the compositions of the invention comprise a mutant HPPD polypeptide having at least about 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or more sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:27 (the HPPD amino acid sequence of Avena sativa) or where the HPPD amino acid sequence derives from a plant, where the polypeptide has HPPD enzymatic activity, and where the polypeptide contains one or more amino acid sequence additions, substitutions, or deletions corresponding to the amino acid positions listed in column 1 of Table 1, optionally in further combination with known mutations (see e.g., WO2009/144079). In various embodiments, an amino acid at one or more position(s) listed in column 1 of Table 1 is replaced with any other amino acid. In another embodiment, the polypeptide comprises one or more amino acid substitutions, additions, or deletions corresponding to the amino acid substitutions or additions listed in column 2 of Table 1. In yet another embodiment, the polypeptide comprises one or more substitutions corresponding to a conservative variant of the amino acids listed in column 2 of Table 1. For example, the polypeptide may comprise a mutation corresponding to amino acid position 217 of SEQ ID NO:14 (amino acid position 218 of SEQ ID NO:27), wherein that amino acid is replaced with alanine or a conservative substitution of alanine; or the polypeptide may comprise a mutation corresponding to amino acid position 241 of SEQ ID NO:14 (amino acid position 242 of SEQ ID NO:27), wherein that amino acid is replaced with tryptophan or a conservative substitution of tryptophan; or the polypeptide may comprise a mutation corresponding to amino acid position 408 of SEQ ID NO:14 (amino acid position 409 of SEQ ID NO:27), wherein that amino acid is replaced with alanine or a conservative substitution of alanine. In particular embodiments, the amino acid sequence of the mutant HPPD polypeptide of the invention is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26.

TABLE 1 Exemplary HPPD Mutations Mutable amino acid position relative to SEQ ID NO: 14 Substitution, addition, or deletion* 172 D, V, E, K, or A 217 I, A, M, or C 219 H or C 220 C 224 L 240 M, I, or L 241 S, W, G, M, F, Y, or H 244 V 253 T 254 R, S, or A 255 M, H, G, F, C, or I 256 R or M 257 G 258 M, I, A, or K 259 I 268 V or K 269 M, F, or V 271 I, M, or V 272 A 280 G or K 281 Delete R 281-282 insert K, A, or R between R282 and S283 284 V, S, A, P, T, L, or G 286 E 287 F 294 A or S 296 L 297 N, R, G, A, H, S, T, E, or C 299 L or M 299 M, L, or V 325 Q or L 326 K, S, P, D, R, N, Y, or H 328 A or R 328 Delete P 333 K, R, D, Q, or E 336 Delete E 339 R or L 339 Delete I 357 I 358 L 358 M or A 361 K 367 M 370 V or L 371 L 372 S, P, D, R, N, Y, or H 374 N 382 L 386 V or C 408 A, S, or T 410 T, S, L, A, I, V, Q, H, E, G, M, C, V, or T 411 I 413 I 414 G 415 A, N, G, K, or Q 416 S, A, or Q 420 A *Unless otherwise denoted, the amino acids listed in this column represent the potential substitutions at the indicated position.

In another embodiment, the compositions of the invention comprise a mutant HPPD polypeptide having at least about 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or more sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:27 (the HPPD amino acid sequence of Avena saliva) or where the HPPD amino acid sequence derives from a plant, where the polypeptide has HPPD enzymatic activity, and where the polypeptide contains one or more amino acid sequence substitutions corresponding to the amino acid positions listed in column 1 of Table 2, optionally in further combination with known mutations (see e.g., WO2009/144079). In various embodiments, an amino acid at one or more position(s) listed in column 1 of Table 2 is replaced with any other amino acid. In another embodiment, the polypeptide comprises one or more amino acid substitutions corresponding to the amino acid substitutions listed in column 2 of Table 2. In yet another embodiment, the polypeptide comprises one or more substitutions corresponding to a conservative variant of the amino acids listed in column 2 of Table 2. For example, the polypeptide may comprise a mutation corresponding to amino acid position 217 of SEQ ID NO:14 (amino acid position 218 of SEQ ID NO:27), wherein that amino acid is replaced with alanine or a conservative substitution of alanine; or the polypeptide may comprise a mutation corresponding to amino acid position 241 of SEQ ID NO:14 (amino acid position 242 of SEQ ID NO:27), wherein that amino acid is replaced with tryptophan or a conservative substitution of tryptophan; or the polypeptide may comprise a mutation corresponding to amino acid position 408 of SEQ ID NO:14 (amino acid position 409 of SEQ ID NO:27), wherein that amino acid is replaced with alanine or a conservative substitution of alanine. In particular embodiments, the amino acid sequence of the mutant HPPD polypeptide of the invention is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26.

TABLE 2 Exemplary HPPD Mutations Amino acid position (relative to SEQ ID NO: 14) Substitution 217 I, A, M, or C 241 S, W, G, M, F, Y, or H 254 R, S, or A 255 M, H, G, F, C, or I 258 M, I, A, or K 269 M, F, or V 271 M, I, or V 284 V, S, A, P, T, L, or G 297 N, R, G, S, T, E, C, A, or H 325 Q or L 326 K, S, P, D, R, N, Y, or H 358 M or A 408 A, S, or T 411 T, S, L, A, I, Q, H, E, G, M, C, V, or T

The terms “polypeptide,” “peptide,” and “protein” are used interchangeably herein to refer to a polymer of amino acid residues. The terms apply to amino acid polymers in which one or more amino acid residues is an artificial chemical analogue of a corresponding naturally occurring amino acid, as well as to naturally occurring amino acid polymers. Polypeptides of the invention can be produced either from a nucleic acid disclosed herein, or by the use of standard molecular biology techniques. For example, a truncated protein of the invention can be produced by expression of a recombinant nucleic acid of the invention in an appropriate host cell, or alternatively by a combination of ex vivo procedures, such as protease digestion and purification.

Accordingly, the present invention also provides nucleic acid molecules comprising polynucleotide sequences that encode mutant HPPD polypeptides that have HPPD enzymatic activity and that confer resistance or tolerance in plants to certain classes of herbicides that inhibit HPPD, and variants and fragments thereof. In general, the invention includes any polynucleotide sequence that encodes any of the mutant HPPD polypeptides described herein, as well as any polynucleotide sequence that encodes HPPD polypeptides having one or more conservative amino acid substitutions relative to the mutant HHPD polypeptides described herein. Conservative substitution tables providing functionally similar amino acids are well known in the art. The following five groups each contain amino acids that are conservative substitutions for one another: Aliphatic: Glycine (G), Alanine (A), Valine (V), Leucine (L), Isoleucine (I); Aromatic: Phenylalanine (F), Tyrosine (Y), Tryptophan (W); Sulfur-containing: Methionine (M), Cysteine (C); Basic: Arginine I, Lysine (K), Histidine (H); Acidic: Aspartic acid (D), Glutamic acid (E), Asparagine (N), Glutamine (Q).

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a polynucleotide sequence encoding an amino acid sequence having at least about 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or more sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:14 or to SEQ ID NO:27 or where the HPPD amino acid sequence derives from a plant, where the polypeptide has HPPD enzymatic activity, and where the polypeptide contains one or more amino acid sequence additions, substitutions, or deletions as described herein. In particular embodiments, the polynucleotide sequence encodes a mutant HPPD polypeptide having an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26. In another embodiment, the present invention provides a polynucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13.

As used herein, “nucleic acid” includes reference to a deoxyribonucleotide or ribonucleotide polymer in either single- or double-stranded form, and unless otherwise limited, encompasses known analogues (e.g., peptide nucleic acids) having the essential nature of natural nucleotides in that they hybridize to single-stranded nucleic acids in a manner similar to naturally occurring nucleotides.

As used herein, the terms “encoding” or “encoded” when used in the context of a specified nucleic acid mean that the nucleic acid comprises the requisite information to direct translation of the nucleotide sequence into a specified protein. The information by which a protein is encoded is specified by the use of codons. A nucleic acid encoding a protein may comprise non-translated sequences (e.g., introns) within translated regions of the nucleic acid or may lack such intervening non-translated sequences (e.g., as in cDNA).

The invention encompasses isolated or substantially purified polynucleotide or protein compositions. An “isolated” or “purified” polynucleotide or protein, or biologically active portion thereof, is substantially or essentially free from components that normally accompany or interact with the polynucleotide or protein as found in its naturally occurring environment. Thus, an isolated or purified polynucleotide or protein is substantially free of other cellular material, or culture medium when produced by recombinant techniques, or substantially free of chemical precursors or other chemicals when chemically synthesized. Optimally, an “isolated” polynucleotide is free of sequences (optimally protein encoding sequences) that naturally flank the polynucleotide (i.e., sequences located at the 5′ and 3′ ends of the polynucleotide) in the genomic DNA of the organism from which the polynucleotide is derived. For example, in various embodiments, the isolated polynucleotide can contain less than about 5 kb, 4 kb, 3 kb, 2 kb, 1 kb, 0.5 kb, or 0.1 kb of nucleotide sequence that naturally flank the polynucleotide in genomic DNA of the cell from which the polynucleotide is derived. A protein that is substantially free of interfering enzyme activities and that is capable of being characterized in respect of its catalytic, kinetic and molecular properties includes quite crude preparations of protein (for example recombinantly produced in cell extracts) having less than about 98%, 95% 90%, 80%, 70%, 60% or 50% (by dry weight) of contaminating protein as well as preparations further purified by methods known in the art to have 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%, 5%, or 1% (by dry weight) of contaminating protein.

The proteins of the invention may be altered in various ways including amino acid substitutions, deletions, truncations, and insertions. Methods for such manipulations are generally known in the art. For example, amino acid sequence variants and fragments of the mutant HPPD proteins can be prepared by mutations in the DNA. Methods for mutagenesis and polynucleotide alterations are well known in the art. See, for example, Kunkel (1985) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82:488-492; Kunkel et al. (1987) Methods in Enzymol. 154:367-382; U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,192; Walker and Gaastra, eds. (1983) Techniques in Molecular Biology (MacMillan Publishing Company, New York) and the references cited therein. Guidance as to appropriate amino acid substitutions that often do not affect biological activity of the protein of interest may be found in the model of Dayhoff et al. (1978) Atlas of Protein Sequence and Structure (Natl. Biomed. Res. Found., Washington, D.C.), herein incorporated by reference. Conservative substitutions, such as exchanging one amino acid with another having similar properties, may be optimal.

The polynucleotides of the invention can also be used to isolate corresponding sequences from other organisms, particularly other plants. In this manner, methods such as PCR, hybridization, and the like can be used to identify such sequences based on their sequence homology to the sequences set forth herein.

In a PCR approach, oligonucleotide primers can be designed for use in PCR reactions to amplify corresponding DNA sequences from cDNA or genomic DNA extracted from any plant of interest. Methods for designing PCR primers and PCR cloning are generally known in the art. See, for example, Sambrook et al. (1989) Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual (2d ed., Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Plainview, N.Y.). See also Innis et al., eds. (1990) PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications (Academic Press, New York); Innis and Gelfand, eds. (1995) PCR Strategies (Academic Press, New York); and Innis and Gelfand, eds. (1999) PCR Methods Manual (Academic Press, New York).

In hybridization techniques, all or part of a known polynucleotide is used as a probe that selectively hybridizes to other corresponding polynucleotides present in a population of cloned genomic DNA fragments or cDNA fragments (i.e., genomic or cDNA libraries) from a chosen organism. The hybridization probes may be genomic DNA fragments, cDNA fragments, RNA fragments, or other oligonucleotides, and may be labeled with a detectable group such as ³²P, or any other detectable marker. Methods for preparation of probes for hybridization and for construction of cDNA and genomic libraries are generally known in the art and are disclosed in Sambrook et al. (1989) Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual (2d ed., Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Plainview, N.Y.).

By “hybridizing to” or “hybridizing specifically to” refers to the binding, duplexing, or hybridizing of a molecule only to a particular nucleotide sequence under stringent conditions when that sequence is present in a complex mixture (e.g., total cellular) DNA or RNA. “Bind(s) substantially” refers to complementary hybridization between a probe nucleic acid and a target nucleic acid and embraces minor mismatches that can be accommodated by reducing the stringency of the hybridization media to achieve the desired detection of the target nucleic acid sequence.

“Stringent hybridization conditions” and “stringent hybridization wash conditions” in the context of nucleic acid hybridization experiments such as Southern and Northern hybridizations are sequence dependent, and are different under different environmental parameters. Longer sequences hybridize specifically at higher temperatures. An extensive guide to the hybridization of nucleic acids is found in Tijssen (1993) Laboratory Techniques in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology-Hybridization with Nucleic Acid Probes part I chapter 2 “Overview of principles of hybridization and the strategy of nucleic acid probe assays” Elsevier, N.Y. Generally, highly stringent hybridization and wash conditions are selected to be about 5° C. lower than the thermal melting point (T_(m)) for the specific sequence at a defined ionic strength and pH. Typically, under “stringent conditions” a probe will hybridize to its target subsequence, but to no other sequences.

The T_(m) is the temperature (under defined ionic strength and pH) at which 50% of the target sequence hybridizes to a perfectly matched probe. Very stringent conditions are selected to be equal to the T_(m) for a particular probe. An example of stringent hybridization conditions for hybridization of complementary nucleic acids which have more than 100 complementary residues on a filter in a Southern or northern blot is 50% formamide with 1 mg of heparin at 42° C., with the hybridization being carried out overnight. An example of highly stringent wash conditions is 0.1 5M NaCl at 72° C. for about 15 minutes. An example of stringent wash conditions is a 0.2×SSC wash at 65° C. for 15 minutes (see, Sambrook; infra, for a description of SSC buffer). Often, a high stringency wash is preceded by a low stringency wash to remove background probe signal. An example medium stringency wash for a duplex of, e.g., more than 100 nucleotides, is 1×SSC at 45° C. for 15 minutes. An example low stringency wash for a duplex of, e.g., more than 100 nucleotides, is 4-6×SSC at 40° C. for 15 minutes. For short probes (e.g., about 10 to 50 nucleotides), stringent conditions typically involve salt concentrations of less than about 1.0 M Na ion, typically about 0.01 to 1.0 M Na ion concentration (or other salts) at pH 7.0 to 8.3, and the temperature is typically at least about 30° C. Stringent conditions can also be achieved with the addition of destabilizing agents such as formamide. In general, a signal to noise ratio of 2× (or higher) than that observed for an unrelated probe in the particular hybridization assay indicates detection of a specific hybridization. Nucleic acids that do not hybridize to each other under stringent conditions are still substantially identical if the proteins that they encode are substantially identical. This occurs, e.g., when a copy of a nucleic acid is created using the maximum codon degeneracy permitted by the genetic code.

The following are examples of sets of hybridization/wash conditions that may be used to clone nucleotide sequences that are homologues of reference nucleotide sequences of the present invention: a reference nucleotide sequence preferably hybridizes to the reference nucleotide sequence in 7% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), 0.5 M NaPO₄, 1 mM EDTA at 50° C. with washing in 2×SSC, 0.1% SDS at 50° C., more desirably in 7% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), 0.5 M NaPO₄, 1 mM EDTA at 50° C. with washing in 1×SSC, 0.1% SDS at 50° C., more desirably still in 7% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), 0.5 M NaPO₄, 1 mM EDTA at 50° C. with washing in 0.5×SSC, 0.1% SDS at 50° C., preferably in 7% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), 0.5 M NaPO₄, 1 mM EDTA at 50° C. with washing in 0.1×SSC, 0.1% SDS at 50° C., more preferably in 7% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), 0.5 M NaPO₄, 1 mM EDTA at 50° C. with washing in 0.1×SSC, 0.1% SDS at 65° C.

Fragments and variants of the disclosed nucleotide sequences and proteins encoded thereby are also encompassed by the present invention. “Fragment” is intended to mean a portion of the nucleotide sequence or a portion of the amino acid sequence and hence protein encoded thereby. Fragments of a nucleotide sequence may encode protein fragments that retain the biological activity of the mutant HPPD protein and hence have HPPD enzymatic activity. Alternatively, fragments of a nucleotide sequence that are useful as hybridization probes or in mutagenesis and shuffling reactions to generate yet further HPPD variants generally do not encode fragment proteins retaining biological activity. Thus, fragments of a nucleotide sequence may range from at least about 20 nucleotides, about 50 nucleotides, about 100 nucleotides, and up to the full-length nucleotide sequence encoding the polypeptides of the invention.

A fragment of a nucleotide sequence that encodes a biologically active portion of a mutant HPPD protein of the invention will encode at least 15, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 150, 180, 200, 250, 300, or 350 contiguous amino acids, or up to the total number of amino acids present in a full-length mutant HPPD polypeptide of the invention. Fragments of a nucleotide sequence that are useful as hybridization probes or PCR primers generally need not encode a biologically active portion of an HPPD protein.

As used herein, “full-length sequence” in reference to a specified polynucleotide means having the entire nucleic acid sequence of a native or mutated HPPD sequence. “Native sequence” is intended to mean an endogenous sequence, i.e., a non-engineered sequence found in an organism's genome.

Thus, a fragment of a nucleotide sequence of the invention may encode a biologically active portion of a mutant HPPD polypeptide, or it may be a fragment that can be used as a hybridization probe etc. or PCR primer using methods disclosed below. A biologically active portion of a mutant HPPD polypeptide can be prepared by isolating a portion of one of the nucleotide sequences of the invention, expressing the encoded portion of the mutant HPPD protein (e.g., by recombinant expression in vitro), and assessing the activity of the encoded portion of the mutant HPPD protein. Nucleic acid molecules that are fragments of a nucleotide sequence of the invention comprise at least 15, 20, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200, or 1300 contiguous nucleotides, or up to the number of nucleotides present in a full-length nucleotide sequence disclosed herein.

“Variants” is intended to mean substantially similar sequences. For polynucleotides, a variant comprises a deletion and/or addition of one or more nucleotides at one or more internal sites within the reference polynucleotide and/or a substitution of one or more nucleotides at one or more sites in the mutant HPPD polynucleotide. As used herein, a “reference” polynucleotide or polypeptide comprises a mutant HPPD nucleotide sequence or amino acid sequence, respectively. As used herein, a “native” polynucleotide or polypeptide comprises a naturally occurring nucleotide sequence or amino acid sequence, respectively. One of skill in the art will recognize that variants of the nucleic acids of the invention will be constructed such that the open reading frame is maintained. For polynucleotides, conservative variants include those sequences that, because of the degeneracy of the genetic code, encode the amino acid sequence of one of the mutant HPPD polypeptides of the invention. Naturally occurring allelic variants such as these can be identified with the use of well-known molecular biology techniques, as, for example, with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and hybridization techniques as outlined below. Variant polynucleotides also include synthetically derived polynucleotide, such as those generated, for example, by using site-directed mutagenesis but which still encode a mutant HPPD protein of the invention. Generally, variants of a particular polynucleotide of the invention will have at least about 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or more sequence identity to that particular polynucleotide as determined by sequence alignment programs and parameters described elsewhere herein.

Variants of a particular polynucleotide of the invention (i.e., the reference polynucleotide) can also be evaluated by comparison of the percent sequence identity between the polypeptide encoded by a variant polynucleotide and the polypeptide encoded by the reference polynucleotide. Thus, for example, a polynucleotide that encodes a polypeptide with a given percent sequence identity to the polypeptides of SEQ ID NOS: 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, or 26, are disclosed. Percent sequence identity between any two polypeptides can be calculated using sequence alignment programs and parameters described elsewhere herein. Where any given pair of polynucleotides of the invention is evaluated by comparison of the percent sequence identity shared by the two polypeptides they encode, the percent sequence identity between the two encoded polypeptides is at least about 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or more sequence identity across the entirety of the HPPD sequences described herein, i.e., when compared to the full length HPPD sequences described herein.

“Variant” protein is intended to mean a protein derived from the reference protein by deletion or addition of one or more amino acids at one or more internal sites in the mutant HPPD protein and/or substitution of one or more amino acids at one or more sites in the mutant HPPD protein. Variant proteins encompassed by the present invention are biologically active, that is they continue to possess the desired biological activity of the mutant HPPD protein, that is, HPPD enzymatic activity and/or herbicide tolerance as described herein. Such variants may result from, for example, genetic polymorphism or from human manipulation. Biologically active variants of a mutant HPPD protein of the invention will have at least about 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or more sequence identity across the entirety of the amino acid sequence for the mutant HPPD protein as determined by sequence alignment programs and parameters described elsewhere herein. A biologically active variant of a protein of the invention may differ from that protein by as few as 1-15 amino acid residues, as few as 1-10, such as 6-10, as few as 5, as few as 4, 3, 2, or even 1 amino acid residue.

Methods of alignment of sequences for comparison are well known in the art and can be accomplished using mathematical algorithms such as the algorithm of Myers and Miller (1988) CABIOS 4:11-17; the local alignment algorithm of Smith et al. (1981) Adv. Appl. Math. 2:482; the global alignment algorithm of Needleman and Wunsch (1970) J. Mol. Biol. 48:443-453; and the algorithm of Karlin and Altschul (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 872264, modified as in Karlin and Altschul (1993) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90:5873-5877. Computer implementations of these mathematical algorithms can be utilized for comparison of sequences to determine sequence identity. Such implementations include, but are not limited to: CLUSTAL in the PC/Gene program (available from Intelligenetics, Mountain View, Calif.); the ALIGN program (Version 2.0) and GAP, BESTFIT, BLAST, FASTA, and TFASTA in the GCG Wisconsin Genetics Software Package, Version 10 (available from Accelrys Inc., 9685 Scranton Road, San Diego, Calif., USA).

Gene Stacking

In certain embodiments the polynucleotides of the invention encoding mutant HPPD polypeptides or variants thereof that retain HPPD enzymatic activity (e.g., a polynucleotide sequence encoding an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26) can be stacked with any combination of polynucleotide sequences of interest in order to create plants with a desired trait. A trait, as used herein, refers to the phenotype derived from a particular sequence or groups of sequences. For example, the polynucleotides encoding a mutant HPPD polypeptide or variant thereof that retains HPPD enzymatic activity may be stacked with any other polynucleotides encoding polypeptides that confer a desirable trait, including but not limited to resistance to diseases, insects, and herbicides, tolerance to heat and drought, reduced time to crop maturity, improved industrial processing, such as for the conversion of starch or biomass to fermentable sugars, and improved agronomic quality, such as high oil content and high protein content.

Exemplary polynucleotides that may be stacked with polynucleotides of the invention encoding an mutant HPPD polypeptide or variant thereof that retains HPPD enzymatic activity include polynucleotides encoding polypeptides conferring resistance to pests/pathogens such as viruses, nematodes, insects or fungi, and the like. Exemplary polynucleotides that may be stacked with polynucleotides of the invention include polynucleotides encoding: polypeptides having pesticidal and/or insecticidal activity, such as other Bacillus thuringiensis toxic proteins (described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,366,892; 5,747,450; 5,737,514; 5,723,756; 5,593,881; and Geiser et al., (1986) Gene 48:109), lectins (Van Damme et al. (1994) Plant Mol. Biol. 24:825, pentin (described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,981,722), and the like; traits desirable for disease or herbicide resistance (e.g., fumonisin detoxification genes (U.S. Pat. No. 5,792,931); avirulence and disease resistance genes (Jones et al. (1994) Science 266:789; Martin et al., (1993) Science 262:1432; Mindrinos et al. (1994) Cell 78:1089); acetolactate synthase (ALS) mutants that lead to herbicide resistance such as the S4 and/or Hra mutations; glyphosate resistance (e.g., 5-enol-pyrovyl-shikimate-3-phosphate-synthase (EPSPS) gene, described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,940,935 and 5,188,642; or the glyphosate N-acetyltransferase (GAT) gene, described in Castle et al. (2004) Science, 304:1151-1154; and in U.S. Patent App. Pub. Nos. 20070004912, 20050246798, and 20050060767)); glufosinate resistance (e.g, phosphinothricin acetyl transferase genes PAT and BAR, described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,561,236 and 5,276,268); resistance to herbicides including sulfonyl urea, DHT (2,4D), and PPO herbicides (e.g., glyphosate acetyl transferase, aryloxy alkanoate dioxygenase, acetolactate synthase, and protoporphyrinogen oxidase); a cytochrome P450 or variant thereof that confers herbicide resistance or tolerance to, inter alia, HPPD herbicides (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/156,247; U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,380,465; 6,121,512; 5,349,127; 6,649,814; and 6,300,544; and PCT Patent App. Pub. No. WO2007000077); and traits desirable for processing or process products such as high oil (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,232,529); modified oils (e.g., fatty acid desaturase genes (U.S. Pat. No. 5,952,544; WO 94/11516)); modified starches (e.g., ADPG pyrophosphorylases (AGPase), starch synthases (SS), starch branching enzymes (SBE), and starch debranching enzymes (SDBE)); and polymers or bioplastics (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,602,321; beta-ketothiolase, polyhydroxybutyrate synthase, and acetoacetyl-CoA reductase (Schubert et al. (1988) J. Bacteriol. 170:5837-5847) facilitate expression of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs)); the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference.

Thus, in one embodiment, the polynucleotides encoding a mutant HPPD polypeptide or variant thereof that retains HPPD enzymatic activity are stacked with one or more polynucleotides encoding polypeptides that confer resistance or tolerance to an herbicide. In one embodiment, the desirable trait is resistance or tolerance to an HPPD inhibitor. In another embodiment, the desirable trait is resistance or tolerance to glyphosate. In another embodiment, the desirable trait is resistance or tolerance to glufosinate.

These stacked combinations can be created by any method including, but not limited to, cross-breeding plants by any conventional or TopCross methodology, or genetic transformation. If the sequences are stacked by genetically transforming the plants, the polynucleotide sequences of interest can be combined at any time and in any order. For example, a transgenic plant comprising one or more desired traits can be used as the target to introduce further traits by subsequent transformation. The traits can be introduced simultaneously in a co-transformation protocol with the polynucleotides of interest provided by any combination of transformation cassettes. For example, if two sequences will be introduced, the two sequences can be contained in separate transformation cassettes (trans) or contained on the same transformation cassette (cis). Expression of the sequences can be driven by the same promoter or by different promoters. In certain cases, it may be desirable to introduce a transformation cassette that will suppress the expression of the polynucleotide of interest. This may be combined with any combination of other suppression cassettes or overexpression cassettes to generate the desired combination of traits in the plant. It is further recognized that polynucleotide sequences can be stacked at a desired genomic location using a site-specific recombination system. See, for example, WO99/25821, WO99/25854, WO99/25840, WO99/25855, and WO99/25853, all of which are herein incorporated by reference.

Plant Expression Cassettes

The compositions of the invention may additionally contain nucleic acid sequences for transformation and expression in a plant of interest. The nucleic acid sequences may be present in DNA constructs or expression cassettes. “Expression cassette” as used herein means a nucleic acid molecule capable of directing expression of a particular nucleotide sequence in an appropriate host cell, comprising a promoter operatively linked to the nucleotide sequence of interest (i.e., a polynucleotide encoding a mutant HPPD polypeptide or variant thereof that retains HPPD enzymatic activity, alone or in combination with one or more additional nucleic acid molecules encoding polypeptides that confer desirable traits) which is operatively linked to termination signals. It also typically comprises sequences required for proper translation of the nucleotide sequence. The coding region usually codes for a protein of interest but may also code for a functional RNA of interest, for example antisense RNA or a nontranslated RNA, in the sense or antisense direction. The expression cassette comprising the nucleotide sequence of interest may be chimeric, meaning that at least one of its components is heterologous with respect to at least one of its other components. The expression cassette may also be one that is naturally occurring but has been obtained in a recombinant form useful for heterologous expression. Typically, however, the expression cassette is heterologous with respect to the host, i.e., the particular DNA sequence of the expression cassette does not occur naturally in the host cell and must have been introduced into the host cell or an ancestor of the host cell by a transformation event. The expression of the nucleotide sequence in the expression cassette may be under the control of a constitutive promoter or of an inducible promoter that initiates transcription only when the host cell is exposed to some particular external stimulus. Additionally, the promoter can also be specific to a particular tissue or organ or stage of development.

The present invention encompasses the transformation of plants with expression cassettes capable of expressing a polynucleotide of interest, i.e., a polynucleotide encoding a mutant HPPD polypeptide or variant thereof that retains HPPD enzymatic activity, alone or in combination with one or more additional nucleic acid molecules encoding polypeptides that confer desirable traits. The expression cassette will include in the 5′-3′ direction of transcription, a transcriptional and translational initiation region (i.e., a promoter) and a polynucleotide open reading frame. The expression cassette may optionally comprise a transcriptional and translational termination region (i.e. termination region) functional in plants. In some embodiments, the expression cassette comprises a selectable marker gene to allow for selection for stable transformants. Expression constructs of the invention may also comprise a leader sequence and/or a sequence allowing for inducible expression of the polynucleotide of interest. See, Guo et al. (2003) Plant J. 34:383-92 and Chen et al. (2003) Plant J. 36:731-40 for examples of sequences allowing for inducible expression.

The regulatory sequences of the expression construct are operably linked to the polynucleotide of interest. By “operably linked” is intended a functional linkage between a promoter and a second sequence wherein the promoter sequence initiates and mediates transcription of the DNA sequence corresponding to the second sequence. Generally, operably linked means that the nucleotide sequences being linked are contiguous.

Any promoter capable of driving expression in the plant of interest may be used in the practice of the invention. The promoter may be native or analogous or foreign or heterologous to the plant host. The terms “heterologous” and “exogenous” when used herein to refer to a nucleic acid sequence (e.g. a DNA or RNA sequence) or a gene, refer to a sequence that originates from a source foreign to the particular host cell or, if from the same source, is modified from its original form. Thus, a heterologous gene in a host cell includes a gene that is endogenous to the particular host cell but has been modified through, for example, the use of DNA shuffling. The terms also include non-naturally occurring multiple copies of a naturally occurring DNA sequence. Thus, the terms refer to a DNA segment that is foreign or heterologous to the cell, or homologous to the cell but in a position within the host cell nucleic acid in which the element is not ordinarily found. Exogenous DNA segments are expressed to yield exogenous polypeptides.

A “homologous” nucleic acid (e.g. DNA) sequence is a nucleic acid (e.g. DNA or RNA) sequence naturally associated with a host cell into which it is introduced.

The choice of promoters to be included depends upon several factors, including, but not limited to, efficiency, selectability, inducibility, desired expression level, and cell- or tissue-preferential expression. It is a routine matter for one of skill in the art to modulate the expression of a sequence by appropriately selecting and positioning promoters and other regulatory regions relative to that sequence. The promoters that are used for expression of the transgene(s) can be a strong plant promoter, a viral promoter, or a chimeric promoters composed of elements such as: TATA box from any gene (or synthetic, based on analysis of plant gene TATA boxes), optionally fused to the region 5′ to the TATA box of plant promoters (which direct tissue and temporally appropriate gene expression), optionally fused to 1 or more enhancers (such as the 35S enhancer, FMV enhancer, CMP enhancer, RUBISCO SMALL SUBUNIT enhancer, PLASTOCYANIN enhancer).

Exemplary constitutive promoters include, for example, the core promoter of the Rsyn7 promoter and other constitutive promoters disclosed in WO 99/43838 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,072,050; the core CaMV 35S promoter (Odell et al. (1985) Nature 313:810-812); rice actin (McElroy et al. (1990) Plant Cell 2:163-171); ubiquitin (Christensen et at (1989) Plant Mol. Biol. 12:619-632 and Christensen et al. (1992) Plant Mol. Biol. 18:675-689); pEMU (Last et al. (1991) Theor. Appl. Genet. 81:581-588); MAS (Velten et al. (1984) EMBO J. 3:2723-2730); ALS promoter (U.S. Pat. No. 5,659,026), and the like. Other constitutive promoters include, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,608,149; 5,608,144; 5,604,121; 5,569,597; 5,466,785; 5,399,680; 5,268,463; 5,608,142; and 6,177,611.

Appropriate plant or chimeric promoters are useful for applications such as expression of transgenes in certain tissues, while minimizing expression in other tissues, such as seeds, or reproductive tissues. Exemplary cell type- or tissue-preferential promoters drive expression preferentially in the target tissue, but may also lead to some expression in other cell types or tissues as well. Methods for identifying and characterizing promoter regions in plant genomic DNA include, for example, those described in the following references: Jordano, et al., Plant Cell, 1:855-866 (1989); Bustos, et al., Plant Cell, 1:839-854 (1989); Green, et al., EMBO J. 7, 4035-4044 (1988); Meier, et al., Plant Cell, 3, 309-316 (1991); and Zhang, et al., Plant Physiology 110: 1069-1079 (1996).

In other embodiments of the present invention, inducible promoters may be desired. Inducible promoters drive transcription in response to external stimuli such as chemical agents or environmental stimuli. For example, inducible promoters can confer transcription in response to hormones such as giberellic acid or ethylene, or in response to light or drought.

A variety of transcriptional terminators are available for use in expression cassettes. These are responsible for the termination of transcription beyond the transgene and correct mRNA polyadenylation. The termination region may be native with the transcriptional initiation region, may be native with the operably linked DNA sequence of interest, may be native with the plant host, or may be derived from another source (i.e., foreign or heterologous to the promoter, the DNA sequence of interest, the plant host, or any combination thereof). Appropriate transcriptional terminators are those that are known to function in plants and include the CAMV 35S terminator, the tml terminator, the nopaline synthase terminator and the pea rbcs E9 terminator. These can be used in both monocotyledons and dicotyledons. In addition, a gene's native transcription terminator may be used.

Generally, the expression cassette will comprise a selectable marker gene for the selection of transformed cells. Selectable marker genes are utilized for the selection of transformed cells or tissues.

Numerous sequences have been found to enhance gene expression from within the transcriptional unit and these sequences can be used in conjunction with the genes of this invention to increase their expression in transgenic plants.

Various intron sequences have been shown to enhance expression, particularly in monocotyledonous cells. For example, the introns of the maize Adhl gene have been found to significantly enhance the expression of the wild-type gene under its cognate promoter when introduced into maize cells. Intron 1 was found to be particularly effective and enhanced expression in fusion constructs with the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene (Callis et al., Genes Develop. 1:1183-1200 (1987)). In the same experimental system, the intron from the maize bronze 1 gene had a similar effect in enhancing expression. Intron sequences have been routinely incorporated into plant transformation vectors, typically within the non-translated leader.

A number of non-translated leader sequences derived from viruses are also known to enhance expression, and these are particularly effective in dicotyledonous cells. Specifically, leader sequences from Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV, the “W-sequence”), Maize Chlorotic Mottle Virus (MCMV), and Alfalfa Mosaic Virus (AMV) have been shown to be effective in enhancing expression (e.g. Gallie et al. Nucl. Acids Res. 15: 8693-8711 (1987); Skuzeski et al. Plant Molec. Biol. 15: 65-79 (1990)). Other leader sequences known in the art include but are not limited to: picornavirus leaders, for example, EMCV leader (Encephalomyocarditis 5′ noncoding region) (Elroy-Stein, O., Fuerst, T. R., and Moss, B. PNAS USA 86:6126-6130 (1989)); potyvirus leaders, for example, TEV leader (Tobacco Etch Virus) (Allison et al., 1986); MDMV leader (Maize Dwarf Mosaic Virus); Virology 154:9-20); human immunoglobulin heavy-chain binding protein (BiP) leader, (Macejak, D. G., and Samow, P., Nature 353: 90-94 (1991); untranslated leader from the coat protein mRNA of alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV RNA 4), (Jobling, S. A., and Gehrke, L., Nature 325:622-625 (1987); tobacco mosaic virus leader (TMV), (Gallie, D. R. et al., Molecular Biology of RNA, pages 237-256 (1989); and Maize Chlorotic Mottle Virus leader (MCMV) (Lommel, S. A. et al., Virology 81:382-385 (1991). See also, Della-Cioppa et al., Plant Physiology 84:965-968 (1987).

The present invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs comprising one or more of the expression cassettes described above. The construct can be a vector, such as a plant transformation vector. In one embodiment, the vector is a plant transformation vector comprising a polynucleotide comprising the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:34, 35, 36, or 37.

Plants

As used herein, the term “plant part” or “plant tissue” includes plant cells, plant protoplasts, plant cell tissue cultures from which plants can be regenerated, plant calli, plant clumps, and plant cells that are intact in plants or parts of plants such as embryos, pollen, ovules, seeds, leaves, flowers, branches, fruit, kernels, ears, cobs, husks, stalks, roots, root tips, anthers, and the like.

Plants useful in the present invention include plants that are transgenic for at least a polynucleotide encoding a mutant HPPD polypeptide or variant thereof that retains HPPD enzymatic activity, alone or in combination with one or more additional nucleic acid molecules encoding polypeptides that confer desirable traits. The type of plant selected depends on a variety of factors, including for example, the downstream use of the harvested plant material, amenability of the plant species to transformation, and the conditions under which the plants will be grown, harvested, and/or processed. One of skill will further recognize that additional factors for selecting appropriate plant varieties for use in the present invention include high yield potential, good stalk strength, resistance to specific diseases, drought tolerance, rapid dry down and grain quality sufficient to allow storage and shipment to market with minimum loss.

Plants according to the present invention include any plant that is cultivated for the purpose of producing plant material that is sought after by man or animal for either oral consumption, or for utilization in an industrial, pharmaceutical, or commercial process. The invention may be applied to any of a variety of plants, including, but not limited to maize, wheat, rice, barley, soybean, cotton, sorghum, beans in general, rape/canola, alfalfa, flax, sunflower, safflower, millet, rye, sugarcane, sugar beet, cocoa, tea, Brassica, cotton, coffee, sweet potato, flax, peanut, clover; vegetables such as lettuce, tomato, cucurbits, cassava, potato, carrot, radish, pea, lentils, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peppers, and pineapple; tree fruits such as citrus, apples, pears, peaches, apricots, walnuts, avocado, banana, and coconut; and flowers such as orchids, carnations and roses. Other plants useful in the practice of the invention include perennial grasses, such as switchgrass, prairie grasses, Indiangrass, Big bluestem grass and the like. It is recognized that mixtures of plants may be used.

In addition, the term “crops” is to be understood as also including crops that have been rendered tolerant to herbicides or classes of herbicides (such as, for example, ALS inhibitors, for example primisulfuron, prosulfuron and trifloxysulfuron, EPSPS (5-enol-pyrovyl-shikimate-3-phosphate-synthase) inhibitors, GS (glutamine synthetase) inhibitors) as a result of conventional methods of breeding or genetic engineering. Examples of crops that have been rendered tolerant to herbicides or classes of herbicides by genetic engineering methods include glyphosate- and glufosinate-resistant crop varieties commercially available under the trade names ROUNDUPREADY® and LIBERTYLINK®. The method according to the present invention is especially suitable for the protection of soybean crops which have also been rendered tolerant to glyphosate and/or glufosinate and where HPPD herbicides are used in a weed control programme along with other such herbicides (glufosinate and/or glyphosate) for weed control.

It is further contemplated that the constructs of the invention may be introduced into plant varieties having improved properties suitable or optimal for a particular downstream use. For example, naturally-occurring genetic variability results in plants with resistance or tolerance to HPPD inhibitors or other herbicides, and such plants are also useful in the methods of the invention. The method according to the present invention can be further optimized by crossing the transgenes that provide a level of tolerance, with soybean cultivars that exhibit an enhanced level of tolerance to HPPD inhibitors that is found in a small percentage of soybean lines.

Plant Transformation

Once an herbicide resistant or tolerant mutant HPPD polynucleotide, alone or in combination with one or more additional nucleic acid molecules encoding polypeptides that confer desirable traits, has been cloned into an expression system, it is transformed into a plant cell. The receptor and target expression cassettes of the present invention can be introduced into the plant cell in a number of art-recognized ways. The term “introducing” in the context of a polynucleotide, for example, a nucleotide construct of interest, is intended to mean presenting to the plant the polynucleotide in such a manner that the polynucleotide gains access to the interior of a cell of the plant. Where more than one polynucleotide is to be introduced, these polynucleotides can be assembled as part of a single nucleotide construct, or as separate nucleotide constructs, and can be located on the same or different transformation vectors. Accordingly, these polynucleotides can be introduced into the host cell of interest in a single transformation event, in separate transformation events, or, for example, in plants, as part of a breeding protocol. The methods of the invention do not depend on a particular method for introducing one or more polynucleotides into a plant, only that the polynucleotide(s) gains access to the interior of at least one cell of the plant. Methods for introducing polynucleotides into plants are known in the art including, but not limited to, transient transformation methods, stable transformation methods, and virus-mediated methods.

“Transient transformation” in the context of a polynucleotide is intended to mean that a polynucleotide is introduced into the plant and does not integrate into the genome of the plant.

By “stably introducing” or “stably introduced” in the context of a polynucleotide introduced into a plant is intended the introduced polynucleotide is stably incorporated into the plant genome, and thus the plant is stably transformed with the polynucleotide.

“Stable transformation” or “stably transformed” is intended to mean that a polynucleotide, for example, a nucleotide construct described herein, introduced into a plant integrates into the genome of the plant and is capable of being inherited by the progeny thereof, more particularly, by the progeny of multiple successive generations.

Numerous transformation vectors available for plant transformation are known to those of ordinary skill in the plant transformation arts, and the genes pertinent to this invention can be used in conjunction with any such vectors. The selection of vector will depend upon the preferred transformation technique and the target species for transformation. For certain target species, different antibiotic or herbicide selection markers may be preferred. Selection markers used routinely in transformation include the nptII gene, which confers resistance to kanamycin and related antibiotics (Messing & Vierra Gene 19: 259-268 (1982); Bevan et al., Nature 304:184-187 (1983)), the pat and bar genes, which confer resistance to the herbicide glufosinate (also called phosphinothricin; see White et al., Nucl. Acids Res 18: 1062 (1990), Spencer et al. Theor. Appl. Genet 79: 625-631 (1990) and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,561,236 and 5,276,268), the hph gene, which confers resistance to the antibiotic hygromycin (Blochinger & Diggelmann, Mol. Cell Biol. 4: 2929-2931), and the dhfr gene, which confers resistance to methatrexate (Bourouis et al., EMBO J. 2(7): 1099-1104 (1983)), the EPSPS gene, which confers resistance to glyphosate (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,940,935 and 5,188,642), the glyphosate N-acetyltransferase (GAT) gene, which also confers resistance to glyphosate (Castle et al. (2004) Science, 304:1151-1154; U.S. Patent App. Pub. Nos. 20070004912, 20050246798, and 20050060767); and the mannose-6-phosphate isomerase gene, which provides the ability to metabolize mannose (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,767,378 and 5,994,629). Alternatively, and in one preferred embodiment the HPPD gene of the current invention is, in combination with the use of an HPPD herbicide as selection agent, itself used as the selectable marker.

Methods for regeneration of plants are also well known in the art. For example, Ti plasmid vectors have been utilized for the delivery of foreign DNA, as well as direct DNA uptake, liposomes, electroporation, microinjection, and microprojectiles. In addition, bacteria from the genus Agrobacterium can be utilized to transform plant cells. Below are descriptions of representative techniques for transforming both dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous plants, as well as a representative plastid transformation technique.

Many vectors are available for transformation using Agrobacterium tumefaciens. These typically carry at least one T-DNA border sequence and include vectors such as pBIN19 (Bevan, Nucl. Acids Res. (1984)). For the construction of vectors useful in Agrobacterium transformation, see, for example, US Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0260011, herein incorporated by reference.

Transformation without the use of Agrobacterium tumefaciens circumvents the requirement for T-DNA sequences in the chosen transformation vector and consequently vectors lacking these sequences can be utilized in addition to vectors such as the ones described above which contain T-DNA sequences. Transformation techniques that do not rely on Agrobacterium include transformation via particle bombardment, protoplast uptake (e.g. PEG and electroporation) and microinjection. The choice of vector depends largely on the preferred selection for the species being transformed. For the construction of such vectors, see, for example, US Application No. 20060260011, herein incorporated by reference.

For expression of a nucleotide sequence of the present invention in plant plastids, plastid transformation vector pPH143 (WO 97/32011, See Example 36) is used. The nucleotide sequence is inserted into pPH143 thereby replacing the PROTOX coding sequence. This vector is then used for plastid transformation and selection of transformants for spectinomycin resistance. Alternatively, the nucleotide sequence is inserted in pPH143 so that it replaces the aadH gene. In this case, transformants are selected for resistance to PROTOX inhibitors.

Transformation techniques for dicotyledons are well known in the art and include Agrobacterium-based techniques and techniques that do not require Agrobacterium. Non-Agrobacterium techniques involve the uptake of exogenous genetic material directly by protoplasts or cells. This can be accomplished by PEG or electroporation mediated uptake, particle bombardment-mediated delivery, or microinjection. Examples of these techniques are described by Paszkowski et al., EMBO J. 3: 2717-2722 (1984), Potrykus et al., Mol. Gen. Genet. 199: 169-177 (1985), Reich et al., Biotechnology 4: 1001-1004 (1986), and Klein et al., Nature 327: 70-73 (1987). In each case the transformed cells are regenerated to whole plants using standard techniques known in the art.

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation is a preferred technique for transformation of dicotyledons because of its high efficiency of transformation and its broad utility with many different species. Agrobacterium transformation typically involves the transfer of the binary vector carrying the foreign DNA of interest (e.g. pCIB200 or pCIB2001) to an appropriate Agrobacterium strain which may depend of the complement of vir genes carried by the host Agrobacterium strain either on a co-resident Ti plasmid or chromosomally (e.g. strain CIB542 for pCIB200 and pCIB2001 (Uknes et al. Plant Cell 5: 159-169 (1993)). The transfer of the recombinant binary vector to Agrobacterium is accomplished by a triparental mating procedure using E. coli carrying the recombinant binary vector, a helper E. coli strain which carries a plasmid such as pRK2013 and which is able to mobilize the recombinant binary vector to the target Agrobacterium strain. Alternatively, the recombinant binary vector can be transferred to Agrobacterium by DNA transformation (Hofgen & Willmitzer, Nucl. Acids Res. 16: 9877 (1988)).

Transformation of the target plant species by recombinant Agrobacterium usually involves co-cultivation of the Agrobacterium with explants from the plant and follows protocols well known in the art. Transformed tissue is regenerated on selectable medium carrying the antibiotic or herbicide resistance marker present between the binary plasmid T-DNA borders.

Another approach to transforming plant cells with a gene involves propelling inert or biologically active particles at plant tissues and cells. This technique is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,945,050, 5,036,006, and 5,100,792 all to Sanford et al. Generally, this procedure involves propelling inert or biologically active particles at the cells under conditions effective to penetrate the outer surface of the cell and afford incorporation within the interior thereof. When inert particles are utilized, the vector can be introduced into the cell by coating the particles with the vector containing the desired gene. Alternatively, the target cell can be surrounded by the vector so that the vector is carried into the cell by the wake of the particle. Biologically active particles (e.g., dried yeast cells, dried bacterium or a bacteriophage, each containing DNA sought to be introduced) can also be propelled into plant cell tissue.

Transformation of most monocotyledon species has now also become routine. Preferred techniques include direct gene transfer into protoplasts using PEG or electroporation techniques, and particle bombardment into callus tissue. Transformations can be undertaken with a single DNA species or multiple DNA species (i.e. co-transformation) and both of these techniques are suitable for use with this invention. Co-transformation may have the advantage of avoiding complete vector construction and of generating transgenic plants with unlinked loci for the gene of interest and the selectable marker, enabling the removal of the selectable marker in subsequent generations, should this be regarded desirable. However, a disadvantage of the use of co-transformation is the less than 100% frequency with which separate DNA species are integrated into the genome (Schocher et al. Biotechnology 4: 1093-1096 (1986)).

Patent Applications EP 0 292 435, EP 0 392 225, and WO 93/07278 describe techniques for the preparation of callus and protoplasts from an elite inbred line of maize, transformation of protoplasts using PEG or electroporation, and the regeneration of maize plants from transformed protoplasts. Gordon-Kamm et al. (Plant Cell 2: 603-618 (1990)) and Fromm et al. (Biotechnology 8: 833-839 (1990)) have published techniques for transformation of A188-derived maize line using particle bombardment. Furthermore, WO 93/07278 and Koziel et al. (Biotechnology 11: 194-200 (1993)) describe techniques for the transformation of elite inbred lines of maize by particle bombardment. This technique utilizes immature maize embryos of 1.5-2.5 mm length excised from a maize ear 14-15 days after pollination and a PDS-1000He Biolistics device for bombardment.

Transformation of rice can also be undertaken by direct gene transfer techniques utilizing protoplasts or particle bombardment. Protoplast-mediated transformation has been described for Japonica-types and Indica-types (Zhang et al. Plant Cell Rep 7: 379-384 (1988); Shimamoto et al. Nature 338: 274-277 (1989); Datta et al. Biotechnology 8:736-740 (1990)). Both types are also routinely transformable using particle bombardment (Christou et al. Biotechnology 9: 957-962 (1991)). Furthermore, WO 93/21335 describes techniques for the transformation of rice via electroporation.

Patent Application EP 0 332 581 describes techniques for the generation, transformation and regeneration of Pooideae protoplasts. These techniques allow the transformation of Dactylis and wheat. Furthermore, wheat transformation has been described by Vasil et al. (Biotechnology 10: 667-674 (1992)) using particle bombardment into cells of type C long-term regenerable callus, and also by Vasil et al. (Biotechnology 11:1553-1558 (1993)) and Weeks et al. (Plant Physiol. 102:1077-1084 (1993)) using particle bombardment of immature embryos and immature embryo-derived callus. A preferred technique for wheat transformation, however, involves the transformation of wheat by particle bombardment of immature embryos and includes either a high sucrose or a high maltose step prior to gene delivery. Prior to bombardment, any number of embryos (0.75-1 mm in length) are plated onto MS medium with 3% sucrose (Murashiga & Skoog, Physiologia Plantarum 15: 473-497 (1962)) and 3 mg/l 2,4-D for induction of somatic embryos, which is allowed to proceed in the dark. On the chosen day of bombardment, embryos are removed from the induction medium and placed onto the osmoticum (i.e. induction medium with sucrose or maltose added at the desired concentration, typically 15%). The embryos are allowed to plasmolyze for 2-3 hours and are then bombarded. Twenty embryos per target plate is typical, although not critical. An appropriate gene-carrying plasmid (such as pCIB3064 or pSOG35) is precipitated onto micrometer size gold particles using standard procedures. Each plate of embryos is shot with the DuPont BIOLISTICS® helium device using a burst pressure of about 1000 psi using a standard 80 mesh screen. After bombardment, the embryos are placed back into the dark to recover for about 24 hours (still on osmoticum). After 24 hrs, the embryos are removed from the osmoticum and placed back onto induction medium where they stay for about a month before regeneration. Approximately one month later the embryo explants with developing embryogenic callus are transferred to regeneration medium (MS+1 mg/liter NAA, 5 mg/liter GA), further containing the appropriate selection agent (10 mg/l basta in the case of pCIB3064 and 2 mg/l methotrexate in the case of pSOG35). After approximately one month, developed shoots are transferred to larger sterile containers known as “GA7s” which contain half-strength MS, 2% sucrose, and the same concentration of selection agent.

Transformation of monocotyledons using Agrobacterium has also been described. See, WO 94/00977 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,616, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. See also, Negrotto et al., Plant Cell Reports 19: 798-803 (2000), incorporated herein by reference.

For example, rice (Oryza sativa) can be used for generating transgenic plants. Various rice cultivars can be used (Hiei et al., 1994, Plant Journal 6:271-282; Dong et al., 1996, Molecular Breeding 2:267-276; Hiei et al., 1997, Plant Molecular Biology, 35:205-218). Also, the various media constituents described below may be either varied in quantity or substituted. Embryogenic responses are initiated and/or cultures are established from mature embryos by culturing on MS-CIM medium (MS basal salts, 4.3 g/liter; B5 vitamins (200×), 5 ml/liter; Sucrose, 30 g/liter; proline, 500 mg/liter; glutamine, 500 mg/liter; casein hydrolysate, 300 mg/liter; 2,4-D (1 mg/ml), 2 ml/liter; adjust pH to 5.8 with 1 N KOH; Phytagel, 3 g/liter). Either mature embryos at the initial stages of culture response or established culture lines are inoculated and co-cultivated with the Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404 (Agrobacterium) containing the desired vector construction. Agrobacterium is cultured from glycerol stocks on solid YPC medium (100 mg/L spectinomycin and any other appropriate antibiotic) for about 2 days at 28° C. Agrobacterium is re-suspended in liquid MS-CIM medium. The Agrobacterium culture is diluted to an OD600 of 0.2-0.3 and acetosyringone is added to a final concentration of 200 uM. Acetosyringone is added before mixing the solution with the rice cultures to induce Agrobacterium for DNA transfer to the plant cells. For inoculation, the plant cultures are immersed in the bacterial suspension. The liquid bacterial suspension is removed and the inoculated cultures are placed on co-cultivation medium and incubated at 22° C. for two days. The cultures are then transferred to MS-CIM medium with Ticarcillin (400 mg/liter) to inhibit the growth of Agrobacterium. For constructs utilizing the PMI selectable marker gene (Reed et al., In Vitro Cell. Dev. Biol.-Plant 37:127-132), cultures are transferred to selection medium containing Mannose as a carbohydrate source (MS with 2% Mannose, 300 mg/liter Ticarcillin) after 7 days, and cultured for 3-4 weeks in the dark. Resistant colonies are then transferred to regeneration induction medium (MS with no 2,4-D, 0.5 mg/liter IAA, 1 mg/liter zeatin, 200 mg/liter timentin 2% Mannose and 3% Sorbitol) and grown in the dark for 14 days. Proliferating colonies are then transferred to another round of regeneration induction media and moved to the light growth room. Regenerated shoots are transferred to GA7 containers with GA7-1 medium (MS with no hormones and 2% Sorbitol) for 2 weeks and then moved to the greenhouse when they are large enough and have adequate roots. Plants are transplanted to soil in the greenhouse (To generation) grown to maturity, and the T₁ seed is harvested.

The plants obtained via transformation with a nucleic acid sequence of interest in the present invention can be any of a wide variety of plant species, including those of monocots and dicots; however, the plants used in the method of the invention are preferably selected from the list of agronomically important target crops set forth elsewhere herein. The expression of a gene of the present invention in combination with other characteristics important for production and quality can be incorporated into plant lines through breeding. Breeding approaches and techniques are known in the art. See, for example, Welsh J. R., Fundamentals of Plant Genetics and Breeding, John Wiley & Sons, NY (1981); Crop Breeding, Wood D. R. (Ed.) American Society of Agronomy Madison, Wis. (1983); Mayo O., The Theory of Plant Breeding, Second Edition, Clarendon Press, Oxford (1987); Singh, D. P., Breeding for Resistance to Diseases and Insect Pests, Springer-Verlag, NY (1986); and Wricke and Weber, Quantitative Genetics and Selection Plant Breeding, Walter de Gruyter and Co., Berlin (1986).

For the transformation of plastids, seeds of Nicotiana tabacum c.v. “Xanthienc” are germinated seven per plate in a 1″ circular array on T agar medium and bombarded 12-14 days after sowing with 1 um tungsten particles (M10, Biorad, Hercules, Calif.) coated with DNA from plasmids pPH143 and pPH145 essentially as described (Svab, Z. and Maliga, P. (1993) PNAS 90, 913-917). Bombarded seedlings are incubated on T medium for two days after which leaves are excised and placed abaxial side up in bright light (350-500 umol photons/m²/s) on plates of RMOP medium (Svab, Z., Hajdukiewicz, P. and Maliga, P. (1990) PNAS 87, 8526-8530) containing 500 ug/ml spectinomycin dihydrochloride (Sigma, St. Louis, Mo.). Resistant shoots appearing underneath the bleached leaves three to eight weeks after bombardment are subcloned onto the same selective medium, allowed to form callus, and secondary shoots isolated and subcloned. Complete segregation of transformed plastid genome copies (homoplasmicity) in independent subclones is assessed by standard techniques of Southern blotting (Sambrook et al., (1989) Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor). BamHI/EcoRI-digested total cellular DNA (Mettler, I. J. (1987) Plant Mol Biol Reporter 5, 346349) is separated on 1% Tris-borate (TBE) agarose gels, transferred to nylon membranes (Amersham) and probed with .sup.32P-labeled random primed DNA sequences corresponding to a 0.7 kb BamHI/HindIII DNA fragment from pC8 containing a portion of the rps 7/12plastid targeting sequence. Homoplasmic shoots are rooted aseptically on spectinomycin-containing MS/IBA medium (McBride, K. E. et al. (1994) PNAS 91, 7301-7305) and transferred to the greenhouse.

The genetic properties engineered into the transgenic seeds and plants described above are passed on by sexual reproduction or vegetative growth and can thus be maintained and propagated in progeny plants. Generally, maintenance and propagation make use of known agricultural methods developed to fit specific purposes such as tilling, sowing or harvesting.

Use of the advantageous genetic properties of the transgenic plants and seeds according to the invention can further be made in plant breeding. Depending on the desired properties, different breeding measures are taken. The relevant techniques are well known in the art and include but are not limited to hybridization, inbreeding, backcross breeding, multi-line breeding, variety blend, interspecific hybridization, aneuploid techniques, etc. Thus, the transgenic seeds and plants according to the invention can be used for the breeding of improved plant lines that, for example, increase the effectiveness of conventional methods such as herbicide or pesticide treatment or allow one to dispense with said methods due to their modified genetic properties.

Many suitable methods for transformation using suitable selection markers such as kanamycin, binary vectors such as from Agrobacterium and plant regeneration as, for example, from tobacco leaf discs are well known in the art. Optionally, a control population of plants are likewise transformed with a polynucleotide expressing the control HPPD. Alternatively, an untransformed dicot plant such as Arabidopsis or Tobacco can be used as a control since this, in any case, expresses its own endogenous HPPD.

Herbicide Resistance

The present invention provides transgenic plants, plant cells, tissues, and seeds that have been transformed with a nucleic acid molecule encoding a mutant HPPD or variant thereof that confers resistance or tolerance to herbicides, alone or in combination with one or more additional nucleic acid molecules encoding polypeptides that confer desirable traits.

In one embodiment, the transgenic plants of the invention exhibit resistance or tolerance to application of herbicide in an amount of from about 5 to about 2,000 grams per hectare (g/ha), including, for example, about 5 g/ha, about 10 g/ha, about 15 g/ha, about 20 g/ha, about 25 g/ha, about 30 g/ha, about 35 g/ha, about 40 g/ha, about 45 g/ha, about 50 g/ha, about 55 g/ha, about 60 g/ha, about 65 g/ha, about 70 g/ha, about 75 g/ha, about 80 g/ha, about 85 g/ha, about 90 g/ha, about 95 g/ha, about 100 g/ha, about 110 g/ha, about 120 g/ha, about 130 g/ha, about 140 g/ha, about 150 g/ha, about 160 g/ha, about 170 g/ha, about 180 g/ha, about 190 g/ha, about 200 g/ha, about 210 g/ha, about 220 g/ha, about 230 g/ha, about 240 g/ha, about 250 g/ha, about 260 g/ha, about 270 g/ha, about 280 g/ha, about 290 g/ha, about 300 g/ha, about 310 g/ha, about 320 g/ha, about 330 g/ha, about 340 g/ha, about 350 g/ha, about 360 g/ha, about 370 g/ha, about 380 g/ha, about 390 g/ha, about 400 g/ha, about 410 g/ha, about 420 g/ha, about 430 g/ha, about 440 g/ha, about 450 g/ha, about 460 g/ha, about 470 g/ha, about 480 g/ha, about 490 g/ha, about 500 g/ha, about 510 g/ha, about 520 g/ha, about 530 g/ha, about 540 g/ha, about 550 g/ha, about 560 g/ha, about 570 g/ha, about 580 g/ha, about 590 g/ha, about 600 g/ha, about 610 g/ha, about 620 g/ha, about 630 g/ha, about 640 g/ha, about 650 g/ha, about 660 g/ha, about 670 g/ha, about 680 g/ha, about 690 g/ha, about 700 g/ha, about 710 g/ha, about 720 g/ha, about 730 g/ha, about 740 g/ha, about 750 g/ha, about 760 g/ha, about 770 g/ha, about 780 g/ha, about 790 g/ha, about 800 g/ha, about 810 g/ha, about 820 g/ha, about 830 g/ha, about 840 g/ha, about 850 g/ha, about 860 g/ha, about 870 g/ha, about 880 g/ha, about 890 g/ha, about 900 g/ha, about 910 g/ha, about 920 g/ha, about 930 g/ha, about 940 g/ha, about 950 g/ha, about 960 g/ha, about 970 g/ha, about 980 g/ha, about 990 g/ha, about 1,000 g/ha, about 1,010 g/ha, about 1,020 g/ha, about 1,030 g/ha, about 1,040 g/ha, about 1,050 g/ha, about 1,060 g/ha, about 1,070 g/ha, about 1,080 g/ha, about 1,090 g/ha, about 1,100 g/ha, about 1,110 g/ha, about 1,120 g/ha, about 1,130 g/ha, about 1,140 g/ha, about 1,150 g/ha, about 1,160 g/ha, about 1,170 g/ha, about 1,180 g/ha, about 1,190 g/ha, about 1,200 g/ha, about 1,210 g/ha, about 1,220 g/ha, about 1,230 g/ha, about 1,240 g/ha, about 1,250 g/ha, about 1,260 g/ha, about 1,270 g/ha, about 1,280 g/ha, about 1,290 g/ha, about 1,300 g/ha, about 1,310 g/ha, about 1,320 g/ha, about 1,330 g/ha, about 1,340 g/ha, about 1,350 g/ha, about 360 g/ha, about 1,370 g/ha, about 1,380 g/ha, about 1,390 g/ha, about 1,400 g/ha, about 1,410 g/ha, about 1,420 g/ha, about 1,430 g/ha, about 1,440 g/ha, about 1,450 g/ha, about 1,460 g/ha, about 1,470 g/ha, about 1,480 g/ha, about 1,490 g/ha, about 1,500 g/ha, about 1,510 g/ha, about 1,520 g/ha, about 1,530 g/ha, about 1,540 g/ha, about 1,550 g/ha, about 1,560 g/ha, about 1,570 g/ha, about 1,580 g/ha, about 1,590 g/ha, about 1,600 g/ha, about 1,610 g/ha, about 1,620 g/ha, about 1,630 g/ha, about 1,640 g/ha, about 1,650 g/ha, about 1,660 g/ha, about 1,670 g/ha, about 1,680 g/ha, about 1,690 g/ha, about 1,700 g/ha, about 1,710 g/ha, about 1,720 g/ha, about 1,730 g/ha, about 1,740 g/ha, about 1,750 g/ha, about 1,760 g/ha, about 1,770 g/ha, about 1,780 g/ha, about 1,790 g/ha, about 1,800 g/ha, about 1,810 g/ha, about 1,820 g/ha, about 1,830 g/ha, about 1,840 g/ha, about 1,850 g/ha, about 1,860 g/ha, about 1,870 g/ha, about 1,880 g/ha, about 1,890 g/ha, about 1,900 g/ha, about 1,910 g/ha, about 1,920 g/ha, about 1,930 g/ha, about 1,940 g/ha, about 1,950 g/ha, about 1,960 g/ha, about 1,970 g/ha, about 1,980 g/ha, about 1,990 g/ha, or about 2,000.

The average and distribution of herbicide tolerance or resistance levels of a range of primary plant transformation events are evaluated in the normal manner based upon plant damage, meristematic bleaching symptoms etc. at a range of different concentrations of herbicides. These data can be expressed in terms of, for example, GR50 values derived from dose/response curves having “dose” plotted on the x-axis and “percentage kill”, “herbicidal effect”, “numbers of emerging green plants” etc. plotted on the y-axis where increased GR50 values correspond to increased levels of inherent inhibitor-tolerance (e.g. increased Ki/Km_(HPP) value) and/or level of expression of the expressed HPPD polypeptide.

The methods of the present invention are especially useful to protect crops from the herbicidal injury of HPPD inhibitor herbicides of the classes of HPPD chemistry described below. In one embodiment, the selected from the group consisting of:

a) a compound of formula (Ia)

wherein R¹ and R² are hydrogen or together form an ethylene bridge; R³ is hydroxy or phenylthio-; R⁴ is halogen, nitro, C₁-C₄alkyl, C₁-C₄alkoxy-C₁-C₄alkyl-, C₁-C₄alkoxy-C₁-C₄alkoxy-C₁-C₄alkyl-; X is methine, nitrogen, or C—R⁵ wherein R⁵ is hydrogen, C₁-C₄alkoxy, C₁-C₄haloalkoxy-C₁-C₄alkyl-, or a group

and R⁶ is C₁-C₄alkylsulfonyl- or C₁-C₄haloalkyl;

b) a compound of formula (Ib)

R¹ and R² are independently C₁-C₄alkyl; and the free acids thereof;

c) a compound of formula (Ic)

wherein R¹ is hydroxy, phenylcarbonyl-C₁-C₄alkoxy- or phenylcarbonyl-C₁-C₄alkoxy- wherein the phenyl moiety is substituted in para-position by halogen or C₁-C₄alkyl, or phenylsulfonyloxy- or phenylsulfonyloxy- wherein the phenyl moiety is substituted in para-position by halogen or C₁-C₄alkyl; R² is C₁-C₄alkyl; R³ is hydrogen or C₁-C₄alkyl; R⁴ and R⁶ are independently halogen, C₁-C₄alkyl, C₁-C₄haloalkyl, or C₁-C₄alkylsulfonyl-; and R⁵ is hydrogen, C₁-C₄alkyl, C₁-C₄alkoxy-C₁-C₄alkoxy-, or a group

d) a compound of formula (Id)

wherein R¹ is hydroxy; R² is C₁-C₄alkyl; R³ is hydrogen; and R⁴, R⁵ and R⁶ are independently C₁-C₄alkyl;

e) a compound of formula (Ie)

wherein R¹ is cyclopropyl; R² and R⁴ are independently halogen, C₁-C₄haloalkyl, or C₁-C₄alkylsulfonyl-; and R³ is hydrogen;

f) a compound of formula (If)

wherein R¹ is cyclopropyl; R² and R⁴ are independently halogen, C₁-C₄haloalkyl, or C₁-C₄alkylsulfonyl-; and R³ is hydrogen;

g) a compound of formula (Ig) or Formula (Ih)

wherein: R² is selected from the group consisting of C₁-C₃alkyl, C₁-C₃haloalkyl, C₁-C₃alkoxy-C₁-C₃ alkyl and C₁-C₃ alkoxy-C₂-C₃alkoxy-C₁-C₃-alkyl; R⁵ is hydrogen or methyl; R⁶ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, fluorine, chlorine, hydroxyl and methyl; R⁷ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, hydroxyl, sulfhydryl, C₁-C₆alkyl, C₃-C₆cycloalkyl, C₁-C₆haloalkyl, C₂-C₆haloalkenyl, C₂-C₆alkenyl, C₃-C₆alkynyl, C₁-C₆alkoxy, C₄-C₇ cycloalkoxy, C₁-C₆haloalkoxy, C₁-C₆alkylthio, C₁-C₆alkylsulfinyl, C₁-C₆alkylsulfonyl, C₁-C₆haloalkylthio, amino, C₁-C₆alkylamino, C₂-C₆dialkylamino, C₂-C₆dialkylaminosulfonyl, C₁-C₆alkylaminosulfonyl, C₁-C₆alkoxy-C₁-C₆alkyl, C₁-C₆alkoxy-C₂-C₆alkoxy, C₁-C₆alkoxy-C₂-C₆alkoxy-C₁-C₆-alkyl, C₃-C₆alkenyl-C₂-C₆alkoxy, C₃-C₆alkynyl-C₁-C₆alkoxy, C₁-C₆alkoxycarbonyl, C₁-C₆alkylcarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkylenyl-S(O)p-R′, C₁-C₄alkyleneyl-CO₂—R′, C₁-C₄alkyleneyl-(CO)N—R′R′, phenyl, phenylthio, phenylsulfinyl, phenylsulfonyl, phenoxy, pyrrolidinyl, piperidinyl, morpholinyl and 5 or 6-membered heteroaryl or heteroaryloxy, the heteroaryl containing one to three heteroatoms, each independently selected from the group consisting of oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur, wherein the phenyl or heteroaryl component may be optionally substituted by a substituent selected from the group consisting of C₁-C₃alkyl, C₁-C₃haloalkyl, C₁-C₃ alkoxy, C₁-C₃haloalkoxy, halo, cyano, and nitro; X=O or S; n=0 or 1; m=0 or 1 with the proviso that if m=1 then n=0 and if n=1 then m=0; p=0, 1, or 2; R′ is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and C₁-C₆alkyl; R⁸ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C₁-C₆alkyl, C₁-C₆haloalkyl, C₁-C₆alkylcarbonyl-C₁-C₃alkyl, C₃-C₆cycloalkylalkeneyl for example cyclohexylmethylenyl, C₃-C₆alkynylalkyleneyl for example propargyl, C₂-C₆-alkenylalkylenyl for example allyl, C₁-C₆alkoxy C₁-C₆alkyl, cyano-C₁-C₆-alkyl, arylcarbonyl-C₁-C₃-alkyl (wherein the aryl may be optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of halo, C₁-C₃-alkoxy, C₁-C₃-alkyl, C₁-C₃ haloalkyl), aryl-C₁-C₆alkyl (wherein the aryl may be optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of halo, C₁-C₃-alkoxy, C₁-C₃-alkyl, C₁-C₃ haloalkyl), C₁-C₆alkoxy C₁-C₆alkoxy C₁-C₆alkyl and a 5 or 6-membered heteroaryl-C₁-C₃-alkyl or heterocyclyl-C₁-C₃-alkyl, the heteroaryl or heterocyclyl containing one to three heteroatoms, each independently selected from the group consisting of oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur, wherein the heterocyclyl or heteroaryl component may be optionally substituted by a substituent selected from the group consisting of halo, C₁-C₃alkyl, C₁-C₃haloalkyl, and C₁-C₃ alkoxy; Q is selected from the group consisting of:

wherein A¹ is selected from the group consisting of O, C(O), S, SO, SO₂ and (CR^(e)R^(f))_(q); q=0, 1 or 2; R^(a), R^(b), R^(c), R^(d), R^(e) and R^(f) are each independently selected from the group consisting of C₁-C₄alkyl which may be mono-, di- or tri-substituted by substituents selected from the group consisting of C₁-C₄alkoxy, halogen, hydroxy, cyano, hydroxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkoxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkylthio, C₁-C₄alkylsulfinyl, C₁-C₄alkylsulfonyl, C₁-C₄alkylcarbonyl, phenyl and heteroaryl, it being possible for the phenyl and heteroaryl groups in turn to be mono-, di- or tri-substituted by substituents selected from the group consisting of C₁-C₄alkoxy, halogen, hydroxy, cyano, hydroxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkoxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkylsulfonyl and C₁-C₄haloalkyl, the substituents on the nitrogen in the heterocyclic ring being other than halogen; or R^(a), R^(b), R^(c), R^(d), R^(e) and R^(f) are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C₁-C₄alkoxy, halogen, hydroxy, cyano, hydroxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkoxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkylthio, C₁-C₄alkylsulfinyl, C₁-C₄alkylsulfonyl, C₁-C₄alkylcarbonyl, phenyl or heteroaryl, it being possible for the phenyl and heteroaryl groups in turn to be mono-, di- or tri-substituted by substituents selected from the group consisting of C₁-C₄alkoxy, halogen, hydroxy, cyano, hydroxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkoxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkylsulfonyl and C₁-C₄haloalkyl, the substituents on the nitrogen in the heterocyclic ring being other than halogen; or R^(a) and R^(b) together form a 3- to 5-membered carbocyclic ring which may be substituted by C₁-C₄alkyl and may be interrupted by oxygen, sulfur, S(O), SO₂, OC(O), NR^(g) or by C(O); or R^(a) and R^(c) together form a C₁-C₃alkylene chain which may be interrupted by oxygen, sulfur, SO, SO₂, OC(O), NR^(h) or by C(O); it being possible for that C₁-C₃alkylene chain in turn to be substituted by C₁-C₄alkyl; R^(g) and R^(h) are each independently of the other C₁-C₄alkyl, C₁-C₄haloalkyl, C₁-C₄alkylsulfonyl, C₁-C₄alkylcarbonyl or C₁-C₄alkoxycarbonyl; R^(i) is C₁-C₄alkyl; R³ is selected from the group consisting of C₁-C₆alkyl, optionally substituted with halogen and/or C₁-C₃alkoxy; and C₃-C₆ cycloalkyl optionally substituted with halogen and/or C₁-C₃alkoxy; R⁹ is selected from the group consisting of cyclopropyl, CF₃ and i.-Pr; R¹⁰ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, I, Br, SR¹¹, S(O)R¹¹, S(O)₂R¹¹ and CO₂R¹¹; and R¹¹ is C₁₋₄ alkyl;

h) a compound of formula (Ij), (Ik), or (Im)

or an agronomically acceptable salt of said compound, wherein: R¹ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C₁-C₆alkyl, C₁-C₆haloalkyl, C₁-C₃alkoxy-C₁-C₃ alkyl, C₁-C₃ alkoxy-C₁-C₃alkoxy-C₁-C₃-alkyl, C₁-C₃alkoxy-C₁-C₃-haloalkyl, C₁-C₃-alkoxy-C₁-C₃-alkoxy-C₁-C₃-haloalkyl, C₄-C₆-oxasubstituted cycloalkoxy-C₁-C₃-alkyl, C₄-C₆-oxasubstituted cycloalkyl-C₁-C₃-alkoxy-C₁-C₃-alkyl, C₄-C₆-oxasubstituted cycloalkoxy-C₁-C₃-haloalkyl, C₄-C₆-oxasubstituted cycloalkyl-C₁-C₃-alkoxy-C₁-C₃-haloalkyl, (C₁-C₃alkanesulfonyl-C₁-C₃ alkylamino)-C₁-C₃ alkyl, (C₁-C₃ alkanesulfonyl-C₃-C₄ cycloalkylamino)-C₁-C₃alkyl, C₁-C₆alkylcarbonyl-C₁-C₃alkyl, C₃-C₆cycloalkyl-C₂-C₆alkeneyl, C₃-C₆alkynyl, C₂-C₆-alkenyl, cyano-C₁-C₆-alkyl, arylcarbonyl-C₁-C₃-alkyl (wherein the aryl may be optionally substituted with one or more substituents from the group consisting of halo, C₁-C₃-alkoxy, C₁-C₃-alkyl, C₁-C₃ haloalkyl), aryl-C₁-C₆alkyl (wherein the aryl may be optionally substituted with one or more substituents from the group consisting of halo, C₁-C₃-alkoxy, C₁-C₃-alkyl, C₁-C₃ haloalkyl), aryl, 5 or 6-membered heteroaryl, 5 or 6-membered heteroaryl-C₁-C₃alkyl and heterocyclyl-C₁-C₃alkyl, the heteroaryl or heterocyclyl containing one to three heteroatoms each independently selected from the group consisting of oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur, and wherein the aryl, heterocyclyl or heteroaryl component may be optionally substituted by one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of halo, C₁-C₃alkyl, C₁-C₃haloalkyl, C₁-C₃ alkoxy, C₁-C₃ haloalkoxy, C₁-C₆alkyl-S(O)p-, C₁-C₆haloalkyl-S(O)p-, cyano and nitro; R⁵ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, chloro, fluoro and methyl; R⁶ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, fluorine, chlorine, hydroxyl and methyl; R⁷ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, cyano, nitro, halogen, hydroxyl, sulfhydryl, C₁-C₆alkyl, C₃-C₆cycloalkyl, C₁-C₆haloalkyl, C₂-C₆haloalkenyl, C₂-C₆alkenyl, aryl-C₂-C₆alkenyl, C₃-C₆alkynyl, C₁-C₆alkoxy, C₄-C₇ cycloalkoxy, C₁-C₆haloalkoxy, C₁-C₆alkyl-S(O)p, C₃-C₆cycloalkyl-S(O)p C₁-C₆haloalkyl-S(O)p, C₃-C₆ halocycloalkyl-S(O)p, C₁-C₆alkylcarbonylamino, (C₁-C₆alkylcarbonyl)C₁-C₃alkylamino, (C₃-C₆cycloalkylcarbonyl)amino, (C₃-C₆cycloalkylcarbonyl)C₁-C₃alkylamino, arylcarbonylamino, (arylcarbonyl)-C₁₋₃alkylamino, (heteroarylcarbonyl)amino, (heteroarylcarbonyl)C₁-C₃alkylamino, amino, C₁-C₆alkylamino, C₂-C₆dialkylamino, C₂-C₆alkenylamino, C₁-C₆alkoxy-C₂-C₆-alkylamino, (C₁-C₆alkoxy-C₂-C₄-alkyl)-C₁-C₆-alkylamino, C₃-C₆ cycloalkylamino, C₃-C₆ cyclohaloalkylamino, C₁-C₃alkoxy-C₃-C₆ cycloalkylamino, C₃-C₆ alkynylamino, dialkylamino in which the substituents join to form a 4-6 membered ring (e.g pyrrolidinyl, piperidinyl) optionally containing oxygen (e.g morpholinyl) and/or optionally substituted by C₁-C₃-alkoxy and/or halogen (especially fluorine), C₂-C₆dialkylaminosulfonyl, C₁-C₆alkylaminosulfonyl, C₁-C₆alkoxy-C₁-C₆alkyl, C₁-C₆alkoxy-C₂-C₆alkoxy, C₁-C₆alkoxy-C₂-C₆alkoxy-C₁-C₆-alkyl, C₁-C₆alkenyl-C₂-C₆alkoxy, C₃-C₆alkynyl-C₁-C₆alkoxy, C₁-C₆alkoxycarbonyl, C₁-C₆alkylcarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkylenyl-S(O)p-R′, C₁-C₄alkylenyl-CO₂—R′C₁-C₄alkylenyl-(CO)N—R′R′, aryl (e.g. phenyl), aryl C₁-C₃alkyl, aryl-S(O)p, heteroaryl-S(O)p, aryloxy (e.g phenoxy), a 5 or 6-membered heteroaryl, heteroaryl C₁-C₃ alkyl and heteroaryloxy, the heteroaryl containing one to three heteroatoms, each independently selected from the group consisting of oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur, wherein the aryl or heteroaryl component may be optionally substituted by one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of C₁-C₃alkyl, C₁-C₃haloalkyl, C₁-C₃ alkoxy, C₁-C₃haloalkoxy, halo, cyano and nitro; X¹=N—(O)n or C—R⁸; X²=O or S; n=0 or 1; p=0, 1 or 2; R′ is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and C₁-C₆alkyl; R⁸ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, C₁-C₆alkyl, C₁-C₆haloalkyl, C₁-C₆alkylcarbonyl-C₁-C₃alkyl, C₃-C₆cycloalkyl-C₂-C₆alkenyl for example cyclohexylmethylenyl, C₃-C₆alkynyl (for example propargyl), C₂-C₆-alkenyl (for example allyl), C₁-C₆alkoxy C₁-C₆alkyl, cyano-C₁-C₆-alkyl, arylcarbonyl-C₁-C₃-alkyl (wherein the aryl may be optionally substituted with one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of halo, C₁-C₃-alkoxy, C₁-C₃-alkyl, C₁-C₃ haloalkyl), aryl-C₁-C₆alkyl (wherein the aryl may be optionally substituted with one or more substituents from the group consisting of halo, C₁-C₃-alkoxy, C₁-C₃-alkyl, C₁-C₃ haloalkyl), C₁-C₆alkoxyC₁-C₆alkoxy C₁-C₆alkyl, aryl, a 5 or 6-membered heteroaryl, a 5 or 6-membered heteroaryl-C₁-C₃-alkyl and heterocyclyl-C₁-C₃-alkyl, the heteroaryl or heterocyclyl containing one to three heteroatoms each independently selected from the group consisting of oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur, and wherein the aryl, heterocyclyl or heteroaryl component may be optionally substituted by one or more substituents from the group consisting of halogen, C₁-C₃alkyl, C₁-C₃haloalkyl and C₁-C₃ alkoxy, cyano and nitro; Q is selected from the group consisting of:—

wherein A¹ is selected from the group consisting of O, C(O), S, SO, SO₂ and (CR^(e)R^(f))_(q); q=0, 1 or 2; R^(a), R^(b), R^(c), R^(d), R^(e) and R^(f) are each independently selected from the group consisting of C₁-C₄alkyl which may be mono-, di- or tri-substituted by substituents selected from the group consisting of C₁-C₄alkoxy, halogen, hydroxy, cyano, hydroxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkoxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkylthio, C₁-C₄alkylsulfinyl, C₁-C₄alkylsulfonyl, C₁-C₄alkylcarbonyl, phenyl and heteroaryl, it being possible for the phenyl and heteroaryl groups in turn to be mono-, di- or tri-substituted by substituents selected from the group consisting of C₁-C₄alkoxy, halogen, hydroxy, cyano, hydroxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkoxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkylsulfonyl and C₁-C₄haloalkyl, the substituents on the nitrogen in the heterocyclic ring being other than halogen; or R^(a), R^(b), R^(c), R^(d), R^(e) and R^(f) are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C₁-C₄alkoxy, halogen, hydroxy, cyano, hydroxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkoxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkylthio, C₁-C₄alkylsulfinyl, C₁-C₄alkylsulfonyl, C₁-C₄alkylcarbonyl, phenyl or heteroaryl, it being possible for the phenyl and heteroaryl groups in turn to be mono-, di- or tri-substituted by substituents selected from the group consisting of C₁-C₄alkoxy, halogen, hydroxy, cyano, hydroxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkoxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkylsulfonyl and C₁-C₄haloalkyl, the substituents on the nitrogen in the heterocyclic ring being other than halogen; or R^(a) and R^(b) together form a 3- to 5-membered carbocyclic ring which may be substituted by C₁-C₄alkyl and may be interrupted by oxygen, sulfur, S(O), SO₂, OC(O), NR^(g) or by C(O); or R^(a) and R^(c) together form a C₁-C₃alkylene chain which may be interrupted by oxygen, sulfur, SO, SO₂, OC(O), NR^(h) or by C(O); it being possible for that C₁-C₃alkylene chain in turn to be substituted by C₁-C₄alkyl; R^(g) and R^(h) are each independently of the other C₁-C₄alkyl, C₁-C₄haloalkyl, C₁-C₄alkylsulfonyl, C₁-C₄alkylcarbonyl or C₁-C₄alkoxycarbonyl; R^(i) is C₁-C₄alkyl; R^(j) is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C₁-C₄ alkyl and C₃-C₆ cycloalkyl; R³ is selected from the group consisting of C₁-C₆alkyl, optionally substituted with halogen and/or C₁-C₃alkoxy, and C₃-C₆ cycloalkyl optionally substituted with halogen and/or C₁-C₃alkoxy; R⁹ is selected from the group consisting of cyclopropyl, CF₃ and i.-Pr; R¹⁰ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, I, Br, SR¹¹, S(O)R¹¹, S(O)₂R¹¹ and CO₂R¹¹; and R¹¹ is C₁₋₄ alkyl.

With respect to the structures (Ia)-(Im) described herein:

Halogen encompasses fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine. The same correspondingly applies to halogen in the context of other definitions, such as haloalkyl or halophenyl.

Haloalkyl groups having a chain length of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms are, for example, fluoromethyl, difluoromethyl, trifluoromethyl, chloromethyl, dichloromethyl, trichloromethyl, 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl, 2-fluoroethyl, 2-chloroethyl, pentafluoroethyl, 1,1-difluoro-2,2,2-trichloroethyl, 2,2,3,3-tetrafluoroethyl and 2,2,2-trichloroethyl, heptafluoro-n-propyl and perfluoro-n-hexyl.

Suitable alkylenyl radicals include, for example CH₂, CHCH₃, C(CH₃)₂, CH₂CHCH₃, CH₂CH(C₂H₅).

Suitable haloalkenyl radicals include alkenyl groups substituted one or more times by halogen, halogen being fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine and especially fluorine or chlorine, for example 2,2-difluoro-1-methylvinyl, 3-fluoropropenyl, 3-chloropropenyl, 3-bromopropenyl, 2,3,3-trifluoropropenyl, 2,3,3-trichloropropenyl and 4,4,4-trifluorobut-2-en-1-yl. Preferred C₂-C₆alkenyl radicals substituted once, twice or three times by halogen are those having a chain length of from 2 to 5 carbon atoms. Suitable haloalkylalkynyl radicals include, for example, alkylalkynyl groups substituted one or more times by halogen, halogen being bromine or iodine and, especially, fluorine or chlorine, for example 3-fluoropropynyl, 5-chloropent-2-yn-1-yl, 5-bromopent-2-yn-1-yl, 3,3,3-trifluoropropynyl and 4,4,4-trifluoro-but-2-yn-1-yl. Preferred alkylalkynyl groups substituted one or more times by halogen are those having a chain length of from 3 to 5 carbon atoms.

Alkoxy groups preferably have a chain length of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms. Alkoxy is, for example, methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, isopropoxy, n-butoxy, isobutoxy, sec-butoxy or tert-butoxy or a pentyloxy or hexyloxy isomer, preferably methoxy and ethoxy. Alkylcarbonyl is preferably acetyl or propionyl. Alkoxycarbonyl is, for example, methoxycarbonyl, ethoxycarbonyl, propoxycarbonyl, isopropoxycarbonyl, n-butoxycarbonyl, isobutoxycarbonyl, sec-butoxycarbonyl or tert-butoxycarbonyl, preferably methoxycarbonyl, ethoxycarbonyl or tert-butoxycarbonyl.

Haloalkoxy is, for example, fluoromethoxy, difluoromethoxy, trifluoromethoxy, 2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy, 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethoxy, 2-fluoroethoxy, 2-chloroethoxy, 2,2-difluoroethoxy or 2,2,2-trichloroethoxy, preferably difluoromethoxy, 2-chloroethoxy or trifluoromethoxy.

Alkylthio groups preferably have a chain length of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms. Alkylthio is, for example, methylthio, ethylthio, propylthio, isopropylthio, n-butylthio, isobutylthio, sec-butylthio or tert-butylthio, preferably methylthio or ethylthio. Alkylsulfinyl is, for example, methylsulfinyl, ethylsulfinyl, propylsulfinyl, isopropylsulfinyl, n-butylsulfinyl, isobutylsulfinyl, sec-butylsulfinyl or tert-butylsulfinyl, preferably methylsulfinyl or ethylsulfinyl.

Alkylsulfonyl is, for example, methylsulfonyl, ethylsulfonyl, propylsulfonyl, isopropylsulfonyl, n-butylsulfonyl, isobutylsulfonyl, sec-butylsulfonyl or tert-butylsulfonyl, preferably methylsulfonyl or ethylsulfonyl.

Alkylamino is, for example, methylamino, ethylamino, n-propylamino, isopropylamino or a butylamino isomer. Dialkylamino is, for example, dimethylamino, methylethylamino, diethylamino, n-propylmethylamino, dibutylamino or diisopropylamino. Preference is given to alkylamino groups having a chain length of from 1 to 4 carbon atoms.

Cycloalkylamino or dicycloalkylamino is for example cyclohexylamino or dicyclopropylamino.

Alkoxyalkyl groups preferably have from 1 to 6 carbon atoms. Alkoxyalkyl is, for example, methoxymethyl, methoxyethyl, ethoxymethyl, ethoxyethyl, n-propoxymethyl, n-propoxyethyl, isopropoxymethyl or isopropoxyethyl.

Alkylthioalkyl groups preferably have from 1 to 6 carbon atoms. Alkylthioalkyl is, for example, methylthiomethyl, methylthioethyl, ethylthiomethyl, ethylthioethyl, n-propylthiomethyl, n-propylthioethyl, isopropylthiomethyl, isopropylthioethyl, butylthio-methyl, butylthioethyl or butylthiobutyl.

Cycloalkyl groups preferably have from 3 to 6 ring carbon atoms and may be substituted by one or more methyl groups; they are preferably unsubstituted, for example cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl or cyclohexyl.

Phenyl, including phenyl as part of a substituent such as phenoxy, benzyl, benzyloxy, benzoyl, phenylthio, phenylalkyl, phenoxyalkyl or tosyl, may be in mono- or poly-substituted form, in which case the substituents may, as desired, be in the ortho-, meta- and/or para-position(s).

Heterocyclyl, for example, includes morpholinyl, tetrahydrofuryl.

Heteroaryl, including heteroaryl as part of a substituent such as heteroaryloxy, means a five or six member heteroaryl containing one to three heteroatoms, each independently selected from the group consisting of oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur. It should be understood that the heteroaryl component may be optionally mono or poly substituted. The term heteroaryl thus includes, for example, furanyl, thiopheneyl, thiazolyl, oxazolyl, isoxazolyl, thiazolyl, pyrazolyl, isothiazolyl, pyridyl, pyridazinyl, pyrazinyl, pyrimidinyl, triazolyl.

Compounds of Formula Ij may contain asymmetric centres and may be present as a single enantiomer, pairs of enantiomers in any proportion or, where more than one asymmetric centre are present, contain diastereoisomers in all possible ratios. Typically one of the enantiomers has enhanced biological activity compared to the other possibilities.

Similarly, where there are disubstituted alkenes, these may be present in E or Z form or as mixtures of both in any proportion.

Furthermore, compounds of Formula Ij comprising Q1, Q5, Q6 or Q7 or when R¹ is hydrogen may be in equilibrium with alternative hydroxyl tautomeric forms. It should be appreciated that all tautomeric forms (single tautomer or mixtures thereof), racemic mixtures and single isomers are included within the scope of the present invention.

The skilled person will also appreciate that if n is 1 with regard to Formula Ij to form the N-oxide then the nitrogen and oxygen will be charged accordingly (N⁺O⁻).

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention X² is oxygen.

In another preferred embodiment R¹ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C₁-C₆alkyl, C₁-C₃alkoxyC₁-C₃alkyl, C₁-C₃alkoxy C₂-C₃alkoxyC₁-C₃alkyl, C₁-C₆haloalkyl, C₁-C₃alkoxy-C₁-C₃haloalkyl and phenyl.

In another preferred embodiment R¹ is aryl, preferably phenyl, or a 5 or 6-membered heteroaryl containing one to three heteroatoms each independently selected from the group consisting of oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur, and wherein the aryl or heteroaryl may be optionally substituted by one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of halo, C₁-C₃alkyl, C₁-C₃haloalkyl, C₁-C₃ alkoxy, C₁-C₃ haloalkoxy, C₁-C₆alkyl-S(O)p-, C₁-C₆haloalkyl-S(O)p-, cyano and nitro.

In another preferred embodiment R⁵ is hydrogen.

In another preferred embodiment R⁶ is hydrogen or fluorine.

In another preferred embodiment R^(j) is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, methyl and cyclopropyl.

In another preferred embodiment the herbicidal compound is of Formula (Ik):

In a more preferred embodiment of the present invention the herbicidal compound is of Formula (Ik) wherein Q is Q1, in particular wherein A¹ is CR^(e)R^(f) and wherein R^(a), R^(b), R^(c), R^(d), R^(e) and R^(f) are hydrogen, and wherein q=1. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention Q is Q1, wherein A¹ is CR^(e)R^(f) and wherein, R^(b), R^(d), R^(e) and R^(f) are hydrogen, R^(a) and R^(c) together form an ethylene chain and wherein q=1

In another preferred embodiment, when the herbicidal compound is of Formula (Ik) and wherein R⁷ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxyl, halogen, C₁-C₆alkyl, C₃-C₆cycloalkyl, C₁-C₆haloalkyl, C₁-C₆ alkoxy, C₁-C₆ alkoxy-C₂-C₆-alkoxy, C₁-C₆-alkoxy-C₁-C₆ alkyl, C₁-C₆-alkoxy-C₂-C₆-alkoxy-C₁-C₆ alkyl, C₁-C₆alkylamino, C₁-C₆dialkylamino, C₂-C₆alkenylamino, C₁-C₆alkoxy-C₂-C₃-alkylamino, (C₁-C₆alkoxy-C₂-C₄-alkyl)C₁-C₆-alkylamino, C₃-C₆ cycloalkylamino, C₃-C₆cyclohaloalkylamino, C₁-C₃alkoxy-C₃-C₆ cycloalkylamino, C₃-C₆ alkynylamino and dialkylamino group in which the substituents join to form a 4-6 membered ring, optionally containing oxygen, and/or optionally substituted by C₁-C₃-alkoxy and/or halogen, especially fluorine. In an even more preferred embodiment R⁷ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, chloro, methyl, ethyl, 1-methylethyl, cyclopropyl, fluoromethyl, 1-fluoroethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, 2,2-difluoroethyl, 1-fluoro-1-methylethyl, 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl, difluorochloromethyl, methoxy, ethoxy, methoxymethyl, 1-methoxyethyl, 2-methoxyethoxy, 2-methoxyethoxymethyl, (2-methoxyethyl)amino and (2-methoxyethyl)methylamino.

In another preferred embodiment the herbicidal compound is of Formula (Im):

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention the herbicidal compound is of Formula (Im), wherein Q is Q1, in particular wherein A¹ is CR^(e)R^(f) and wherein R^(a), R^(b), R^(c), R^(d), R^(e) and R^(f) are hydrogen, and wherein q=1. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention Q is Q1, wherein A¹ is CR^(e)R^(f) and wherein, R^(b), R^(d), R^(e) and R^(f) are hydrogen, R^(a) and R^(c) together form an ethylene chain and wherein q=1.

In another preferred embodiment wherein the herbicidal compound is of Formula (Im) and wherein R⁷ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, cyano, halogen, nitro, C₁-C₆ haloalkyl, C₁-C₃ alkoxyC₁-C₃haloalkyl, C₁-C₃ alkoxyC₂-C₆-alkoxyC₁-C₃ haloalkyl, C₁-C₆haloalkoxy, C₁-C₆alkylS(O)p, C₃₋₆cycloalkylS(O)p C₁-C₆haloalkyl-S(O)p, C₃-C₆halocycloalkyl-S(O)p, aryl-S(O)p and heteroaryl-S(O)p. In an even more preferred embodiment R⁷ is selected from the group consisting of chloro, fluoro, cyano, nitro, fluoromethyl, difluoromethyl, trifluoromethyl, 1-fluoroethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, 1-fluoro-1-methylethyl, difluorochloromethyl, difluoromethoxy, trifluoromethoxy, 1,1-difluoroethoxy, methylsulfinyl, methylsulfonyl, ethylsulfinyl, ethylsulfonyl, phenyl sulfinyl and phenyl sulfonyl.

In further preferred embodiments HPPD herbicidal compounds are bicyclic compounds as described in WO2009/016841.

In a particular embodiment the HPPD inhibitor is selected from the group consisting of benzobicyclon, mesotrione, sulcotrione, tefuryltrione, tembotrione, 4-hydroxy-3-[[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)methyl]-6-(trifluoromethyl)-3-pyridinyl]carbonyl]-bicyclo[3.2.1]oct-3-en-2-one, ketospiradox or the free acid thereof, benzofenap, pyrasulfotole, pyrazolynate, pyrazoxyfen, topramezone, [2-chloro-3-(2-methoxyethoxy)-4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl](1-ethyl-5-hydroxy-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-methanone, (2,3-dihydro-3,3,4-trimethyl-1,1-dioxidobenzo[b]thien-5-yl)(5-hydroxy-1-methyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-methanone, isoxachlortole, isoxaflutole, α-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)-2-(methylsulfonyl)-β-oxo-4-chloro-benzenepropanenitrile, and α-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)-2-(methylsulfonyl)-β-oxo-4-(trifluoromethyl)-benzenepropanenitrile.

Other HPPD inhibitors are well known in the art and may be used within the methods of the present invention, including HPPD inhibitors that have the following Chemical Abstracts registration numbers: benzobicyclon (CAS RN 156963-66-5), mesotrione (CAS RN 104206-82-8), sulcotrione (CAS RN 99105-77-8), tefuryltrione (CAS RN 473278-76-1), tembotrione (CAS RN 335104-84-2), 4-hydroxy-3-[[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)methyl]-6-(trifluoromethyl)-3-pyridinyl]carbonyl]-bicyclo[3.2.1]oct-3-en-2-one (CAS RN 352010-68-5), ketospiradox (CAS RN 192708-91-1) or its free acid (CAS RN 187270-87-7), benzofenap (CAS RN 82692-44-2), pyrasulfotole (CAS RN 365400-11-9), pyrazolynate (CAS RN 58011-68-0), pyrazoxyfen (CAS RN 71561-11-0), topramezone (CAS RN 210631-68-8), [2-chloro-3-(2-methoxyethoxy)-4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl](1-ethyl-5-hydroxy-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-methanone (CAS RN 128133-27-7), (2,3-dihydro-3,3,4-trimethyl-1,1-dioxidobenzo[b]thien-5-yl)(5-hydroxy-1-methyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-methanone (CAS RN 345363-97-5), isoxachlortole (CAS RN 141112-06-3), isoxaflutole (CAS RN 141112-29-0), α-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)-2-(methyl-sulfonyl)-β-oxo-4-chloro-benzenepropanenitrile (CAS RN 143701-66-0), and α-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)-2-(methylsulfonyl)-β-oxo-4-(trifluoromethyl)-benzenepropane-nitrile (CAS RN 143701-75-1).

The level of expression of the mutant HPPD should be sufficient to reduce substantially (relative to likewise treated plants but lacking the mutant HPPD transgenes) the residue level of parent herbicide throughout the plant tissue. One of ordinary skill in the art will of course understand that certain mutant HPPD enzymes may confer resistance to certain subgroups of HPPD chemistry, and one enzyme may not provide resistance to all HPPDs.

Methods of Use

The present invention further provides a method of selectively controlling weeds at a locus comprising crop plants and weeds, wherein the plants are obtained by any of the methods of the current invention described above, wherein the method comprises application to the locus of a weed controlling amount of one or more herbicides. Any of the transgenic plants described herein may be used within these methods of the invention. The term “locus” may include soil, seeds, and seedlings, as well as established vegetation. Herbicides can suitably be applied pre-emergence or post-emergence of the crop or weeds.

The term “weed controlling amount” is meant to include functionally, an amount of herbicide which is capable of affecting the growth or development of a given weed. Thus, the amount may be small enough to simply retard or suppress the growth or development of a given weed, or the amount may be large enough to irreversibly destroy a given weed.

Thus, the present invention provides a method of controlling weeds at a locus comprising applying to the locus a weed-controlling amount of one or more herbicides, where the locus comprises a transgenic plant that has been transformed with a nucleic acid molecule encoding a mutant HPPD polypeptide or variant thereof that confers resistance or tolerance to HPPD herbicides, alone or in combination with one or more additional nucleic acid molecules encoding polypeptides that confer desirable traits. In one embodiment, the desirable trait is resistance or tolerance to an herbicide, including, for example, herbicides selected from the group consisting of an HPPD inhibitor, glyphosate, and glufosinate. In another embodiment, the locus comprises a transgenic plant that has been transformed with any combination of nucleic acid molecules described above, including one or more nucleic acid molecules encoding a mutant HPPD polypeptide or variant thereof that confers resistance or tolerance to an herbicide in combination with at least one, at least two, at least three, or at least four additional nucleic acid molecules encoding polypeptides that confer desirable traits.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides transgenic plants and methods useful for the control of unwanted plant species in crop fields, wherein the crop plants are made resistant to HPPD chemistry by transformation to express genes encoding mutant HPPD polypeptides, and where an HPPD herbicide is applied as an over-the-top application in amounts capable of killing or impairing the growth of unwanted plant species (weed species, or, for example, carry-over or “rogue” or “volunteer” crop plants in a field of desirable crop plants). The application may be pre- or post emergence of the crop plants or of the unwanted species, and may be combined with the application of other herbicides to which the crop is naturally tolerant, or to which it is resistant via expression of one or more other herbicide resistance transgenes. See, e.g., U.S. App. Pub. No. 2004/0058427 and PCT App. Pub. No. WO 98/20144.

In another embodiment, the invention also relates to a method of protecting crop plants from herbicidal injury. In the cultivation of crop plants, especially on a commercial scale, correct crop rotation is crucially important for yield stability (the achievement of high yields of good quality over a long period) and for the economic success of an agronomic business. For example, across large areas of the main maize-growing regions of the USA (the “central corn belt”), soya is grown as the subsequent crop to maize in over 75% of cases. Selective weed control in maize crops is increasingly being carried out using HPPD inhibitor herbicides. Although that class of herbicides has excellent suitability for that purpose, it can result in agronomically unacceptable phytotoxic damage to the crop plants in subsequent crops (“carry-over” damage). For example, certain soya varieties are sensitive to even very small residues of such HPPD inhibitor herbicides. Accordingly, the herbicide resistant or tolerant plants of the invention are also useful for planting in a locus of any short term carry-over of herbicide from a previous application (e.g., by planting a transgenic plant of the invention in the year following application of an herbicide to reduce the risk of damage from soil residues of the herbicide).

The following examples are provided by way of illustration, not by way of limitation.

EXAMPLES Example 1 Cloning, Expression and Assay of Avena-Derived HPPD SEQ ID NO:14 and Determination of kcat, Km_(HPP) and Ki (kon and koff) Values Versus Various HPPD Herbicides

The DNA sequence (SEQ ID NO:1) synthesised by GeneArt (Regensburg, Germany) encoding an HPPD derived from Avena sativa (SEQ ID NO:14) was cloned into pET24a and expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) with 50 μg/ml kanamycin selection as described in PCT App. Pub. No. WO 02/46387. Overnight cultures grown at 30° C. were used to inoculate 3×1 liter LB in shake flasks at a ratio of 1:100. Cultures were grown at 37° C., 220 rpm, until an A^(1cm)600 nm of 0.6-0.8 was reached, the temperature decreased to 15° C. and induced with 0.1 mM IPTG. Cultures were grown overnight, and cells harvested after 15 min centrifugation at 10,000 g. Cells were stored at −20° C. until extraction. A cell pellet from 3 liters of shake flask culture (˜12 g) was thawed in extraction buffer (50 mM Tris, 10 mM sodium ascorbate, 2 mM DTT, 2 mM AEBSF, 10 μM trypsin inhibitor, 1 mM EDTA, pH 7.66) at a ratio of 1 ml buffer: 1 g cell paste. Extract was passed through the cell disrupter at 30,000 psi, and centrifuged at 50,000 g for 25 min. at 4° C. Optionally the extract is buffer exchanged down Sepadex G25. Supernatants were beaded in liquid nitrogen and stored at −80° C. Levels of HPPD expression were estimated by Western blot analysis and using purified Avena (1-10 ng) as standard. Extracts were diluted 1:6000 and 1-10 ul were loaded onto 12% SDS PAGE. In addition, expression was quantified by comparing induced and uninduced SDS PAGE with COOMASSIE® (Imperial Chemicals Industries, Ltd., London UK) staining. Gels were blotted onto PVDF membrane and Western blots carried out using rabbit anti-wheat HPPD (1:6600) serum as primary antibody and goat anti-rabbit FITC-linked:antibodies (1:600) as secondary. Detection of bands was carried out by scanning on a Fluorimager™ 595 (GE Healthcare Ltd, Buckinghamshire UK) and peak quantification was carried out by using ImageQuant™ (GE Healthcare Ltd, Buckinghamshire UK). Plasmid DNA was reisolated from all transformed strains and the DNA sequence across the coding region confirmed.

By Western, the expression level of SEQ ID NO:14 polypeptide expressed in the E. coli extract was estimated to be about 10-14 mg/ml. out of a total soluble protein concentration of 33.5 mg/ml.

The concentration of active HPPD in the extract was also more accurately estimated by active site titration. For example a range of volumes of extract (typically 0-20 ul) were added to 50 mM BisTrisPropane buffer at pH7.0 and at 25° C. containing 25 mM Na ascorbate, 4 μg/ml bovine catalase and 3 nmoles of ¹⁴C-labelled compound of Structure A (1.81 GBq/mmol), in a total final assay volume of 425 μl.

The radiolabel protein binding reaction was quenched after 3 minutes by the addition of 100 μl of 1 mM ‘cold’ Structure A. Protein was exchanged into 50 mM BisTrisPropane buffer at pH 7.0 containing 0.1M KCl by rapid chromatography down a NAP5 G25 Sephadex column (GE Healthcare Ltd, Buckinghamshire UK) and ¹⁴C bound to protein fractions measured in Optiphase scintillant using a Tri-Carb 2900TR scintillation counter (Perkin Elmer, Wellesley, Mass.). The HPPD binding site concentration in the extract was calculated from the titration as described in PCT Patent App. Pub. No. WO 02/46387 and was estimated as 94.9, 78.3, and 82.3 (average 85.2) μM in one extract and 47.2 μM in another example.

In an alternate method, the active site titre was calculated on the basis of an activity-based assay titration carried out by pre-incubating various ratios of extract and solutions of Structure A in order to achieve accurate titration of the active site, followed by rapid dilution into assay solution containing 100-200 μM pHPP for immediate assay by HPLC/UV quantitation of homogentisate formation after 30-40 s (i.e., a time sufficiently short that inhibitor dissociation and association does not significantly occur on the timescale of the assay) as described below.

The Km_(HPP) and kcat values of the expressed HPPD were estimated on the basis of assays carried out at 25° C. in solutions of 50 mM BisTrisPropane buffer at pH 7.0 containing 25 mM Na ascorbate, 4 μg/ml bovine catalase (Sigma, St. Louis, Mo.), and a range of concentrations (typically 0.5-10×Km) of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate. Typically assays, in a final volume of 110 μl were started with the addition of enzyme and accurately stopped after 20 or preferably 10 seconds with whirlimixed addition of 20 μl 25% perchloric acid. The assay solution was transferred to Chromacol 03-CVG HPLC vials, sealed and the amount of homogentisate formed in a 40 μl aliquot determined by injection onto a reverse phase Aqua C18 5μ 75×4.6 mm HPLC column running 5.5% acetonitrile 0.1% TFA (Buffer A) at 1.5 ml/min. The column was eluted at 1.5 ml/minute using a 2 minute wash in buffer A, followed by a 2 minute wash in a 30/70 mixture of buffer A and 100% Acetonitrile, and a further 3.5 minute wash in buffer A. The elution of homogentisate was monitored by UV at 292 nm and the amount formed in each reaction quantified by comparison with a standard calibration curve.

Km and Vmax values were determined (for example FIG. 1) using a non linear least squares fit using Grafit 4™ software (Erithacus Software, Middlesex, UK). Kcat values were determined by dividing the maximum rate, Vmax expressed in nmol/second by the number of nmoles of HPPD enzyme (based on the concentration determined by active-site titration).

From one set of separate experiments similar to those that produced the data shown in FIG. 1, on one extract of HPPD SEQ ID NO:14 the Km value was estimated as 6.17, 4.51, 6.09, 6.13, 4.37, 4.62, 5.41, 5.13 and 6 μM (Km average=5.38 μM). The corresponding kcat values were 4.92, 6.25, 7.08, 6.26, 5.5, 6.77, 6.89, 7.12 and 7.39 s⁻¹ (kcat average=6.46 s⁻¹). Note that for this calculation and, standardly herein, Mr was taken to be ˜94 kD and one active-site per dimer was assumed (i.e., half sites activity as well as inhibitor binding; see Garcia et al. (2000) Biochemistry, 39:7501-7507; Hawkes “Hydroxyphenylpyruvate Dioxygenase (HPPD)—The Herbicide Target.” In Modern Crop Protection Compounds. Eds. Krämer and Schirmer. Weinheim, Germany: Wiley-VCH, 2007. Ch. 4.2, pp. 211-220). If the alternate assumption of one active site per monomer had been assumed then calculated kcat values would have been correspondingly halved.

On rates (governed by an association rate constant, kon) for the formation of the enzyme:inhibitor complexes, EI and off rates (governed by a dissociation rate constant, koff) were determined by methods known in the art and essentially as described in Hawkes et al. (2001) Proc. Bright. Crop. Prot. Conf. Weeds, 2:563-568 and in PCT Patent App. Pub. No. WO 02/46387).

For example, on rates were measured by, at zero time, adding ˜60 pmoles HPPD to 50 mM BisTrisPropane buffer at pH7.0 and at 25° C. containing 25 mM Na ascorbate, 4 μg/ml bovine catalase (Sigma, St. Louis, Mo.) and an excess (˜300 pmoles) of ¹⁴C inhibitor in a total assay volume of 425 μl and, at various time points (0-180 s), quenching the radiolabel binding reaction by addition and rapid mixing of 100 μl ‘cold’ 1 mM structure A. Protein samples quenched at different times were then exchanged into 50 mM BisTrisPropane buffer at pH 7.0 containing 0.1M KCl by rapid chromatography down a NAP5 G25 Sephadex column (GE Healthcare Ltd, Buckinghamshire UK) and the amount of ¹⁴C bound to protein fractions quantified in Optiphase scintillant using a Tri-Carb 2900TR scintillation counter (Perkin Elmer, Wellesley, Mass.). The data were fit according to the scheme below in order to derive the value of the apparent second order rate constant, k2, governing the association rate of enzyme and radiolabelled inhibitor. A range of enzyme and inhibitor concentrations were used. Optionally, the rate constant may be derived from similar experiments where enzyme (at ˜0.05-0.2 μM binding sites) and, in this case, unlabelled, inhibitor (at ˜0.5 to 2 μM) are reacted for a range of short times (0-60 s) in 50 mM BisTrisPropane buffer at pH7.0 and at 25° C. containing 25 mM Na ascorbate, 4 μg/ml bovine catalase (Sigma, St. Louis, Mo.) and then quenched by rapid dilution into assay solution containing 100-200 μM HPP for immediate assay by HPLC/UV quantitation of homogentisate formation after 30-40 s (i.e., a time sufficiently short that inhibitor dissociation and association does not significantly occur on the timescale of the assay) as described above. Further example methods are described in PCT Patent App. Pub. No. WO 02/46387.

Off rates (k1 in the scheme below) were derived from exchange rate studies where either the test inhibitor, I, or its exchange partner, J were radiolabelled and the data fit according to the scheme below. As noted in Hawkes et al. (2001) Proc. Bright. Crop. Prot. Conf. Weeds, 2:563-568, HPPD preparations typically appear to contain 15-30% of a more rapidly exchanging (weaker binding) fraction of inhibitor binding sites. This may be a slightly damaged form of the enzyme (it maintains catalytic activity and may have a higher substrate Km) and, except where off rates are so fast that fast and slow exchanging fractions are rendered indistinguishable, off rates always refer to the behaviour of the majorly slower exchanging fraction that represents 70-85% bulk of the HPPD inhibitor binding sites present in the extracts tested.

Off rates were determined by preincubating, for example, ˜200 pmoles of HPPD binding sites (determined as described above by active site titration in a 3 min reaction with structure A) in 50 mM BisTrisPropane buffer at pH 7.0 and at 25° C. containing 25 mM Na ascorbate, 4 μg/ml bovine catalase (Sigma, St. Louis, Mo.) containing ˜1.0 nmole ¹⁴C inhibitor @ 25° C. in a total assay volume of 1.3 mls. After 30 minutes the exchange reaction was initiated with addition of 100 μl 1 mM ‘cold’ structure A with thorough mixing, and, immediately, 150 μl were withdrawn and loaded onto a NAP5 column, the protein exchanged into 50 mM BisTrisPropane buffer at pH 7.0 containing 0.1 M KCl by rapid (<2 min) chromatography down a NAP5 G25 Sephadex column (GE Healthcare Ltd, Buckinghamshire UK) and the amount of ¹⁴C bound to protein measured by Optiphase scintillant using a Tri-Carb 2900TR scintillation counter (Perkin Elmer, Wellesley, Mass.). Further aliquots were removed and measured in the same way at various times over minutes or hours as required in order to determine the exchange kinetics.

In one variant of the method useful to better distinguish between off rates that were relatively rapid (e.g., where t½<15 min at 25° C.) the temperature of the experiment was reduced from 25° C. to ice temperature. In this case, off rates were determined by preincubating ˜200 pmoles HPPD in reaction buffer (50 mM BTP pH7, mM Na ascorbate, 4 ug/ml bovine catalase, and 10% glycerol) containing ˜1.0 nmoles ¹⁴C inhibitor at 25° C. in a total assay volume of 1.3 mls. After 30 minutes the reaction vessel was transferred to ice. After a further 10 minutes at ice temperature the exchange reaction was initiated by addition of 100 μl 1 mM Structure A, with thorough mixing, and 150 μl was withdrawn and loaded onto a NAP5 column in a cold room at ˜5-8° C. in order to quantify the amount of radiolabel remaining bound to the protein at various time from the start of exchange at ice temperature.

Off rates (k1) of HPPD inhibitors that are not available radiolabelled or that present other measurement problems (for example high levels of background non-specific protein-binding which can be measured as radiolabel binding that persists in the presence of high concentrations of ‘cold’ inhibitor) may be measured indirectly. In this case the enzyme complex (˜0.1-0.2 μM) is first formed with the unlabelled inhibitor and then the exchange kinetics derived by chasing it off with high a concentration of ¹⁴C-labelled structure A and monitoring the rate at which the label becomes bound to protein. Structure A is a particularly potent inhibitor with known kinetics and in a 20 fold or more excess will, in equilibrium, >95% occupy the binding sites in exchange competition with the other inhibitors tested here and indeed most other inhibitors (those skilled in the art will of course design the experiment/relative concentrations and fit the data accordingly). Exemplary methods are also described in PCT Patent App. Pub. No. WO 02/46387.

Exemplary on and off rate data (and derived Ki values) were obtained for the Avena-derived HPPD SEQ ID NO:11 for the following compounds as follows.

Off rate (k1=1.67E-05 s⁻¹). 25° C., direct, radiochemical method.

On rate (k2=8.50E+04 M⁻¹ s⁻¹). 25° C., direct radiochemical method.

Kd=1.96E-10 M.

Kd/Km ratio=0.000036

Off rate k1(av)=8.1 E-04 s⁻¹ at 25° C. (individual experiments yielded k1=8.00E-04, 8.88E-04, 7.50E-04 and 8.00E-04 as determined by the direct, radiochemical method). Measured at ice temperature k1=1.21E-05 s⁻¹ (individual experiments yielding 1.16E-05 s⁻¹, 1.0E-05 s⁻¹, 1.2E-05 s⁻¹, 1.5E-05 s⁻¹) by the direct, radiochemical method.

On rate k2(av)=6.7E+04 s⁻¹ M⁻¹ at 25° C. (individual experiments yielded k2=6.35E+04, 7.50E+04, 6.2E+04 as determined by the direct radiochemical method). For mesotrione which has a relatively fast off rate estimates for on rate based on the activity-based method were more variable ranging from 4.2E+04 s⁻¹ M⁻¹, 4.9E+04 s⁻¹ M⁻¹ to 7.5 E+04 s⁻¹ M⁻¹ at 25° C.

Kd was thus estimated from the radiochemical data as 1.16E-08 M corresponding to a Kd/Km ratio of 0.00217.

Off rate k1(av)=7.04 E-05 s⁻¹ at 25° C. (individual experiments yielded k1=7.80E-05, 9.17E-05, 4.5E-05, 6E-05, 7 E-05 and 7.80E-05 as estimated by the indirect radiochemical method).

On rate k2=7.50E+03 s⁻¹ M⁻¹ at 25° C. as estimated by the direct radiochemical method is in good agreement with estimates from the enzyme activity-based method of 7.50E+03 s⁻¹ M⁻¹, 7.80E+03 s⁻¹ M⁻¹, 7.60E+03 s⁻¹ M⁻¹, 7.20E+03 s⁻¹ M⁻¹ and 1.0E+04 s⁻¹ M⁻¹ at 25° C.

Based on the radiochemical method the estimate of Kd=9.4 E-09M.

Therefore the estimate of Kd/Km ratio is then=0.0017.

Off rate k1=3.96E-05 s⁻¹ at 25° C. as determined using the direct, radiochemical method (individual measurements of 4.17E-05 s⁻¹ and 3.75E-05 s⁻¹).

On rate k2=3.20E+04 M⁻¹ s⁻¹ at 25° C. as determined by the direct radiochemical method. This is in fair agreement with estimates from the activity based method for on rate of 3.20E+04 M⁻¹ s⁻¹ and 5.7E+04 M⁻¹ s⁻¹.

Based on the radiochemical methods the estimate of Kd=1.23E-9 M.

The estimate of Kd/Km ratio=0.00023.

Off rate k1=4.17E-05 s⁻¹ at 25° C. as determined by the indirect, radiochemical method. (individual measurements of 5.50E-05 s⁻¹ and 2.85E-05 s⁻¹).

On rate k2=1.30E+05 M⁻¹ s⁻¹ at 25° C. as determined by the direct non-radiochemical method.

The estimate of Kd=3.21E-10M.

The estimate of Kd/Km ratio=0.000059.

Example 2 Cloning, Expression and Assay of Further Variants of Avena-Derived HPPDs SEQ ID NOS:12-20 and Determination of kcat, Km_(HPP) and Ki (kon and koff) Values Versus Various HPPD Herbicides

DNA sequences corresponding to SEQ ID NOS:2-14, encoding HPPD polypeptides corresponding to SEQ ID NOS:15-26 derived from Avena saliva, were synthesized by GeneArt (Regensburg, Germany), cloned into pET24a, and expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) with 50 μg/ml kanamycin selection as described in PCT App. Pub. No. WO 02/46387. Cells were grown, protein extracts were prepared, and HPPD active site titres and kinetic measurements (of kcat, KmHPP, k1, k2 and Ki values) were carried out as described in Example 1.

Within the present example, the following HPPD sequences were used:

HPPD SEQ ID NO:15 was changed relative to SEQ ID NO:14 by the substitution of A for Q within the sequence motif GVQHIA (residues 1-6 of SEQ ID NO:55).

HPPD SEQ ID NO:16 was changed relative to SEQ ID NO:14 by the substitution of G for Q within the sequence motif GVQHIA (residues 1-6 of SEQ ID NO:55).

HPPD SEQ ID NO:17 was changed relative to SEQ ID NO:14 by the substitution of S for Q within the sequence motif GVQHIA (residues 1-6 of SEQ ID NO:55).

HPPD SEQ ID NO:18 was changed relative to SEQ ID NO:14 by the substitution of T for 1 within the sequence motif SQIQTY (residues 1-6 of SEQ ID NO:53).

HPPD SEQ ID NO:19 was changed relative to SEQ ID NO:14 by the substitution of A for 1 within the sequence motif SQIQTY (residues 1-6 of SEQ ID NO:53).

HPPD SEQ ID NO:20 was changed relative to SEQ ID NO:14 by the substitution of S for 1 within the sequence motif SQIQTY (residues 1-6 of SEQ ID NO:53).

HPPD SEQ ID NO:21 was changed relative to SEQ ID NO:14 by the substitution of V for 1 within the sequence motif SQIQTY (residues 1-6 of SEQ ID NO:53).

HPPD SEQ ID NO:22 was changed relative to SEQ ID NO:14 by the substitution of M for L within the sequence motif SGLNS (residues 5-9 of SEQ ID NO:43).

HPPD SEQ ID NO:23 was changed relative to SEQ ID NO:14 by the substitution of W for A within the sequence motif FAEFT (residues 5-9 of SEQ ID NO:42).

HPPD SEQ ID NO:24 was changed relative to SEQ ID NO:14 by the substitution of M for L within the sequence motif G(I,V)LVDRD (SEQ ID NO:30).

HPPD SEQ ID NO:25 was changed relative to SEQ ID NO:14 by the substitution of A for L within the sequence motif G(I,V)LVDR (residues 1-6 of SEQ ID NO:30).

HPPD SEQ ID NO:26 was changed relative to SEQ ID NO:14 by the substitution of M for L within the sequence motif G(I,V)LVDR (residues 1-6 of SEQ ID NO:30) and by the substitution of M for L within the sequence motif SGLNS (residues 5-9 of SEQ ID NO:43).

Values (generally radiochemically determined) of kon (k2), koff (k1), and Ki (all at 25° C.) were obtained for the HPPDs in the present example versus the various inhibitor structures as shown in Table 3. The values given for the reference SEQ ID NO:14 in Table 3 are the average values from a number of experiments as described above. All of the experiments with the other HPPDs included side by side measurements with SEQ ID NO:14 as a comparative control. Within experiments, the ratios of on and off rates relative to this side by side control were reproducible even where absolute values varied somewhat. Thus the values given in Table 3 for HPPD SEQ ID NOs:15-26 are normalized versus the average control values for HPPD SEQ ID NO:14 according to these observed ratios.

TABLE 3 Summary of Values of kon, koff and Kd for HPPD Variants Structure A Structure B kon(k2) koff(k1) Kd kon(k2) koff(k1) Kd HPPD variant /s/M /s nM /s/M /s nM SEQ ID# 14 85000 1.67E−05 0.20 67000 8.10E−04 11.6 SEQ ID# 15 35000 3.33E−05 0.95 70000 8.00E−04 11.4 SEQ ID# 16 ND ND ND 53000 2.00E−03 37.7 SEQ ID# 17 ND ND ND 53000 1.00E−03 18.9 SEQ ID# 18 42000 1.67E−05 0.40 35000 6.00E−04 17.1 SEQ ID# 19 ND ND ND 38000 7.50E−04 19.7 SEQ ID# 20 ND ND ND 31500 9.00E−04 28.6 SEQ ID# 21 85000 1.67E−05 0.20 70000 6.00E−04 8.6 SEQ ID# 22 85000 1.08E−05 0.13 70000 1.20E−03 17.1 SEQ ID# 23 85000 2.83E−05 0.33 70000 7.00E−04 10.0 SEQ ID# 24 85000 2.30E−05 0.27 70000 1.57E−03 22.4 SEQ ID# 25 ND ND ND 20000 8.00E−04 40.0 SEQ ID# 26 ND ND ND 70000 3.00E−03 42.9 Structure C Structure D kon(k2) koff(k1) Kd kon(k2) koff(k1) Kd HPPD variant /s/M /s nM /s/M /s nM SEQ ID# 14 7500 7.04E−05 9.4 32000 3.96E−05 1.2 SEQ ID# 15 7500 1.13E−04 17.7 ND 2.37E−05 ND SEQ ID# 16 4500 1.20E−04 26.7 ND ND ND SEQ ID# 17 9400 6.65E−05 7.1 ND ND ND SEQ ID# 18 7500 9.00E−05 11.9 ND 3.96E−05 ND SEQ ID# 19 7500 6.60E−05 8.9 ND ND ND SEQ ID# 20 10100 6.60E−05 6.6 ND ND ND SEQ ID# 21 7500 9.00E−05 11.9 ND 3.96E−05 ND SEQ ID# 22 4400 9.00E−05 23.9 ND 2.37E−05 ND SEQ ID# 23 7500 ND ND ND 2.37E−05 ND SEQ ID# 24 4900 7.82E−05 16.0 32000 9.18E−05 2.9 SEQ ID# 25 4800 1.13E−04 23.0 ND ND ND SEQ ID# 26 ND 9.00E−05 ND ND ND ND

For example, the off rate of mesotrione (structure B) from HPPD SEQ ID NO:14 was clearly differentiated from that of SEQ ID NO:24 (see FIGS. 4A-4C) with the goodness of fits being sensitive to small changes in koff. From these data it can be seen that mesotrione dissociated about twice as fast from HPPD SEQ ID NO:26 as from HPPD SEQ ID NO:24, and from HPPD SEQ ID NO:24 about twice as fast as from HPPD SEQ ID NO:14. Generally the absolute estimates of koff obtained from the fits to the data were reproducible to within +/−10% and usually better.

When off rates became relatively fast (t½<10 minutes) it was also useful to make comparative measurements at ice temperature in order to more accurately confirm the differential between one HPPD and another. Thus, for example, at ice temperature, mesotrione dissociation from HPPD SEQ NO:14 was governed by a rate constant, koff, of 1.16E-05 s⁻¹ (much slower than the value of 8.1 E-04 s⁻¹ estimated at 25° C.) whereas for SEQ ID NOS:22, 24 and 26, the corresponding mesotrione off rates at ice temperature were 2.17E-05 s⁻¹, 2.25E-05 s⁻¹ and 4.17E-05 s⁻¹; these values being in good proportionate agreement with those at 25° C. (See Table 3).

A number of conclusions were derived from the data in Table 3. The properties of HPPDs SEQ ID NOS:15-17 indicated that certain substitutions for asparagine(Q) within the amino acid sequence GVQHI provided significant improvements relative to HPPD SEQ ID NO:14 in tolerance (slower values of kon and/or faster values of koff), with respect to, for example, Structures A, B and C.

Data from HPPDs SEQ ID NOS:18-21 indicated that certain substitutions for isoleucine(I) within the amino acid sequence SQIQTY provided significant improvements relative to HPPD. SEQ ID NO:14 in tolerance (mainly via slower values of kon), with respect to, for example, Structures A and B.

Data from HPPD SEQ ID NO:22 indicated that certain substitutions for leucine(L) within the amino acid sequence ESGLN provided significant improvements relative to HPPD SEQ ID NO:14 in tolerance (mainly via faster values of koff) with respect to, for example, Structures B and C.

Data from HPPD SEQ ID NO:23 indicated that certain substitutions for alanine (A) within the amino acid sequence EFAEF provided significant improvements relative to HPPD SEQ ID NO:14 in tolerance (mainly via faster values of koff) with respect to, for example, Structure A.

Data from HPPDs SEQ ID NOS:24 and 25 indicated that certain substitutions for leucine (L) within the amino acid sequence G(I,V)LVDRD provided significant improvements relative to HPPD SEQ ID NO:14 in tolerance (via faster values of koff and/or slower values of kon) with respect to, for example, Structure A, Structure B, Structure C and Structure D.

Data from HPPD SEQ ID NO:26 indicated that the combination of certain substitutions for leucine (L) within the amino acid sequence ESGLN with certain substitutions for leucine (L) within the amino acid sequence G(I,V)LVDRD provided yet further significant improvements relative to HPPD SEQ ID NO:14 (and over and above the effect of either single change) in tolerance (mainly via faster values of koff) with respect to, for example, Structures B.

Again, as described for Example 1, kcat and Km values were determined for a number of the HPPDs of the invention expressed in extracts and the values are depicted in Table 4.

TABLE 4 Km and kcat Values of Various HPPDs Km kcat kcat/Km HPPD variant uM s−1 uM−1s−1 SEQ ID #14 5.38 6.46 1.2 SEQ ID #18 35.98 17.94 0.50 SEQ ID #21 5.98 5.47 0.91 SEQ ID #22 12.43 5.79 0.46 SEQ ID #24 4.74 4.35 0.92 SEQ ID #26 10.58 4.05 0.38

A number of the HPPD variants had low Km values similar to HPPD SEQ ID NO:14 and higher values of Ki/Km with respect to the various HPPD herbicides and, thus, overexpression in plants expected to provide enhanced herbicide tolerance to these herbicides. For example, HPPD SEQ ID NO:24 was twice as resistant to mesotrione as was HPPD SEQ ID NO:14 since it exhibited a Ki/Km ratio of 0.0047 as compared with 0.0021.

In addition, all of the above sequences as well as libraries of variants mutated at the same amino positions that showed altered and enhanced levels of herbicide tolerance are useful to be included in mutagenesis and shuffling processes in order to generate yet further shuffled and mutated HPPDs useful as transgenes for conferring herbicide tolerance. For example, the mutants disclosed in Table 5 are useful for generating a herbicide tolerant HPPD mutant polypeptide and for inclusion in recombination reactions to generate further HPPDs.

TABLE 5 Examples of Mutations Useful in Herbicide Tolerant HPPD Polypeptides Amino acid region of Mutation SEQ ID NO: 14 K411L GGFGKGNFS K411T GGFGKGNFS K411S GGFGKGNFS K411M GGFGKGNFS K411A GGFGKGNFS K411E GGFGKGNFS K411V GGFGKGNFS M325L GFEFMAPPQ L271I VLLPLNEPV L271M VLLPLNEPV L271V VLLPLNEPV G408A GGCGGFGKG G408S GGCGGFGKG G408T GGCGGFGKG V258M GLNSVVLAN V258I GLNSVVLAN V258A GLNSVVLAN V258K GLNSVVLAN V217I RFDHVVGNV V217A RFDHVVGNV V217M RFDHVVGNV V217C RFDHVVGNV L271I VLLPLNEPV L271M VLLPLNEPV L271V VLLPLNEPV A326S FEFMAPPQA A326K FEFMAPPQA A326P FEFMAPPQA A326D FEFMAPPQA A326R FEFMAPPQA A326N FEFMAPPQA A326Y FEFMAPPQA A326H FEFMAPPQA I370V VLLQIFTKP Y287F QIQTYLEYH G254S TTESGLNSV G254A TTESGLNSV E416Q GNFSELFKS I339L GVRRIAGDV L269M EAVLLPLNE L269F EAVLLPLNE S420A ELFKSIEDY I372S LQIFTKPVG Y172V EVELYGDVV I299M GVQHIALAS

As another example, the mutants disclosed in Table 6 are also useful for generating a herbicide tolerant HPPD mutant polypeptide and for inclusion in recombination reactions to generate further HPPDs.

TABLE 6 Examples of Mutations Useful in Herbicide Tolerant HPPD Polypeptides Amino acid region of Mutation SEQ ID NO: 14 K411L GGFGKGNFS K411T GGFGKGNFS K411S GGFGKGNFS K411M GGFGKGNFS K411A GGFGKGNFS K411E GGFGKGNFS K411V GGFGKGNFS M325L GFEFMAPPQ L271I VLLPLNEPV L271M VLLPLNEPV L271V VLLPLNEPV G408A GGCGGFGKG G408S GGCGGFGKG G408T GGCGGFGKG V258M GLNSVVLAN V258I GLNSVVLAN V258A GLNSVVLAN V258K GLNSVVLAN V217I RFDHVVGNV V217A RFDHVVGNV V217M RFDHVVGNV V217C RFDHVVGNV L271I VLLPLNEPV L271M VLLPLNEPV L271V VLLPLNEPV A326S FEFMAPPQA A326K FEFMAPPQA A326P FEFMAPPQA A326D FEFMAPPQA A326R FEFMAPPQA A326N FEFMAPPQA A326Y FEFMAPPQA A326H FEFMAPPQA I370V VLLQIFTKP Y287F QIQTVLEYH G254S TTESGLNSV G254A TTESGLNSV E416Q GNFSELFKS I339L GVRRIAGDV L269M EAVLLPLNE L269F EAVLLPLNE S420A ELFKSIEDY I372S LQIFTKPVG Y172V EVELYGDVV I299M GVQHIALAS

Table 7 summarises data from kinetic studies of a range of mutants of HPPD SEQ ID NO:14 expressed relative to the control, ‘none’, meaning non-mutated HPPD SEQ ID NO:14. Experiments were carried out as described for Table 4. ‘Sulc’ denotes sulcotrione and ‘nd’ means ‘no data’. For V217I, L271I, L271V, V258M and A326R, the relative values of kcat were estimated from comparisons of the initial rates in cell extracts of similarly prepared and expressed HPPDs in conventional enzyme activity assays at pH 7.0, 25° C. and at a substrate concentration of 120 μM HPP. V217I, V258M and A326R, M325L and L358M mutants of SEQ ID NO:14 are active HPPD enzymes that offer some resistance to sulcotrione, and may also offer resistance to B. K411T offers significant resistance to E and especially since the greater than 5× increase in Kd to this herbicide comprises mainly an improvement in off rate (3.5×) rather than in on rate. L358M, M325L and K411T all offer improvements with respect to D. For herbicide tolerance L271I and L271V appear to offer significant advantages in kcat over unmutated enzyme.

TABLE 7 Relative Kinetics of Various Mutants of SEQ ID NO: 14 chemical Rate B sulc C D E kcat/ mutation koff Kd Kd koff Kd koff Kd koff Kd kcat Km none 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 L358M 2 2 2 1.1 1.7 2.3 2.3 1.2 1.5 0.7 0.8 M325L 1.1 1.1 1.3 1 1 1.2 1.4 1 1 1.2 1.3 V217I 1.5 1.5 1.3 1.1 1.1 1 1 1 1 1.1 1.1 V258M nd Nd 1.2 nd nd nd nd nd nd 1 nd L281I nd Nd 0.8 nd nd nd nd nd nd 1.7 nd L281V nd Nd 0.6 nd nd nd nd nd nd 2 nd A326R 1.7 1.7 1.6 0.9 0.9 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.6 1.2 1.4 K411T 0.3 0.5 0.9 1 1.1 1.2 3.6 3.5 5.4 1 0.4

It will be appreciated that the majority of substitutions to amino acids within the highly conserved active-site region of HPPD and that lie within 8° A of the atoms of bound mesotrione (according to interpretation of published X Ray crystallographic data of the maize and arabidopsis HPPDs and homology model building to oat HPPD) result in disabled or only partially functional enzymes. From sequence alignments of (active) HPPD sequences in the database, about 60 single or double mutants of SEQ ID NO:14 were selected as amenable to changes in some residues without loss of enzyme activity (on the basis that they were changes that represented some of the spread of sequence variation found amongst natural HPPDs at these positions). These mutants were made, grown, the HPPDs expressed and extracts prepared and tested for their catalytic activity and resistance to mesotrione (relative to the control, unmutated SEQ ID NO:14). Even amongst this privileged set the majority exhibited significantly impaired catalytic activity and/or were significantly more sensitive to sulcotrione than the control. Y287F and I370V were neutral mutations with similar (within 20%) values of kcat and resistance to sulcotrione as the unmutated enzyme. Amongst a further set of about 70 mutants encompassing residues as far as 10° A from the atoms of the bound inhibitors further such neutral mutations (with respect to SEQ ID NO:14) were G254S, G254A, E416Q, V258M, V258I, V258A, V258K, S415K, S415Q, I421L, A326S, L269M, L269F, S420A, T372S, Y172V and I299M. These further mutations can all be optionally combined with the resistance conferring mutations to produce catalytically active variants of HPPD herbicide resistant enzymes of the current invention.

A further mutant of HPPD SEQ ID NO:14, G408A, exhibited inhibition kinetics in respect of B and C showing that this mutant was relatively resistant to inhibition by these compounds. The timecourses of inhibition were not straightforward and could not be fit to the kinetic model described above. The experimental method used was similar to that described above for measuring inhibitor-binding on rates by monitoring enzyme activity. The time courses of inhibition are depicted in FIGS. 10A-10D. Enzyme at about 75 nM was incubated with inhibitor at 0.15 or 0.6 μM for various times up to 260 s and then immediately assayed over a 150 s period following addition of 115 μM HPP (and thus with [S] at ±30×Km also dramatically slowing any further inhibitor binding). In the case of the mutant there appeared to be an initial rapid phase of inhibition which then slowed to leave the enzyme only partly inhibited. In the case of control enzyme inhibition proceeded to (or was on course towards) full inhibition. Although note that in the case of inhibition of the control enzyme by compound B did not quite reach 100%. The ˜8% residual activity in this case was an artifact of the method due to the relatively fast off rate of compound B which allowed some activity to recover during the 150 s assay used to monitor the progress of the reaction between enzyme and inhibitor. This artifact is negligible with slower dissociating inhibitors such as C. Over the time of the experiment and at 0.6 μM B, inhibition of mutant G408A appeared to level off to a residual activity of about 35%. It appeared that this was not due to an even faster off rate for B from G208A than from the control enzyme since, at ice temperature, the radiochemically determined off rate of B from G408A appeared indistinguishable from the rate observed with the control SEQ ID NO:14 HPPD. Mutant G408 also exhibited a similar kcat and kcat/Km to SEQ ID NO: 14 HPPD. Whatever the explanation both B and C appeared to inhibit the G408A mutant HPPD to a lesser extent than the control enzyme. It is also notable the G408A activity appeared unstable since the control activity in the absence of inhibitor declined over the course of the experiment. The addition of inhibitor appeared to arrest this decline in activity and in further experiments it was confirmed that mutant G408A activity was unstable in the absence of inhibitor or substrate but was stabilized by inhibitor and appeared no less stable than wild type enzyme over extended assay time courses in the presence of substrate or when partially inhibited by HPPD herbicide. Thus, despite some instability, mutant G408A is useful alone or in combination with other mutations to provide useful herbicide tolerance while herbicide is present in the plant tissues where it is expressed.

Aside from enzyme kinetic experiments, enhanced resistance to HPPD herbicides was further demonstrated when the HPPDs of the current invention were expressed in E. coli and the comparative herbicide resistances of the various HPPDs assessed visually via the production of pyomelanin. For example HPPD SEQ ID NO:14 and HPPD SEQ ID NO:24 were expressed from a pET24 vector in E. coli BL21 cells. Grown without addition of IPTG there was sufficient expression of HPPD for cultures to slowly turn brown due to the production of pyomelanin pigment (which results from auto-oxidation of HPPD-derived homogentisate). Cells were grown from a 10% starting inoculum into 0.5 ml of L-broth containing 50 μg of kanamycin ml⁻¹ in 45 well plates for 48-96 h at 15° C. Typically pyomelanin colour in the medium was read (at 430 nm) after ˜72 h. It was noted that addition of 12.5 ppm mesotrione caused significantly proportionately less inhibition of pyomelanin colour development in the cells expressing HPPD SEQ ID NO:24 than expressing HPPD SEQ ID NO:14. FIG. 5 compares the absorbance of the medium obtained after 72 h in side by side triplicate grows of E. coli expressing HPPD SEQ ID NOS:14, 18, and 24 all grown in the same plate.

Cells expressing HPPD SEQ ID NO:24, which exhibited the highest ratio of Ki/Km, consistently exhibited the least difference in colour between cells grown with and without 12.5 ppm mesotrione present in the medium. The same was seen when the mesotrione was replaced with 20 ppm sulcotrione (data not shown) indicating that SEQ ID NO 24 offers enhanced tolerance to sulcotrione as well as to mesotrione. Similarly, cells expressing mutant G408A also exhibited resistance relative to HPPD SEQ ID NO:14 to sulcotrion according to the pyomelanin assay with 25 ppm sulcotrione.

Example 3 Preparation and Testing of Stable Transgenic Plant Lines Expressing a Heterologous HPPD Enzyme

In the present example, mutant HPPD genes derived from Avena HPPD were the sequences set forth in SEQ ID NOS:1-13 (optimized for tobacco) or, optionally, are codon optimized according to target crop (e.g., soybean) and prepared synthetically and obtained commercially from GeneArt (Regensburg, Germany). Each sequence is designed to have 5′ Nde1 and 3′BamH1 sites to facilitate direct cloning. For example, the sequences set forth in SEQ ID NOS:11, 12, or 13 are cloned into a suitable binary vector for Agrobacterium-based plant transformation.

In a particular example genes encoding HPPD SEQ ID NO:14 and HPPD SEQ ID NO: 24 were cloned into identical expression constructs as described below and transformed into tobacco.

As described in PCT Patent App. Pub. No. WO 02/46387, the HPPD encoding nucleotide sequence is edited by PCR (or initially synthesized) to include 5′ Nco1 and 3′ Kpn1 sites (and to remove any such internal sites). This product is then ligated into pMJB1. pMJB1 was a pUC19 derived plasmid which contains the plant operable double enhanced CaMV35S promoter; a TMV omega enhancer, and the NOS transcription terminator. A schematic representation of the resulting plasmid is shown in FIG. 2 of PCT Patent App. Pub. No. WO 98/20144. The expression cassette, comprising the double enhanced 35S promoter, TMV omega leader, 4-HPPD gene and nos terminator, is excised using HindIII/Eco R1 (partial Eco R1 digest) and cloned into similarly digested pBIN 19 and transformed into E. coli TOP 10 competent cells. DNA recovered from the E. coli is used to transform Agrobacterium tumefaciens LBA4404, and transformed bacteria are selected on media contain rifampicin and kanamycin. Tobacco tissue is subjected to Agrobacterium-mediated transformation using methods well described in the art or as described herein. For example, a master plate of Agrobacterium tumefaciens containing the HPPD expressing binary vector is used to inoculate 10 ml LB (L broth) containing 100 mg/l Rifampicin plus 50 mg/l Kanamycin using a single bacterial colony. This is incubated overnight at 28° C. shaking at 200 rpm. This entire overnight culture is used to inoculate a 50 ml volume of LB containing the same antibiotics. Again this is cultured overnight at 28° C. shaking at 200 rpm. The Agrobacterium cells are pelleted by centrifuging at 3000 rpm for 15 minutes and then resuspended in MS (Murashige and Skoog) medium containing 30 g/l sucrose, pH 5.9 to an OD (600 nM)=0.6. This suspension is dispensed in 25 ml aliquots into petri dishes.

Clonally micro-propagated tobacco shoot cultures are used to excise young (not yet fully expanded) leaves. The mid rib and outer leaf margins are removed and discarded, and the remaining lamina cut into 1 cm squares. These are transferred to the Agrobacterium suspension for 20 minutes. Explants are then removed, dabbed on sterile filter paper to remove excess suspension, then transferred onto solid NBM medium (MS medium containing 30 g/l sucrose, 1 mg/l BAP (benzylaminopurine) and 0.1 mg/l NAA (napthalene acetic acid) at pH 5.9 and solidified with 8 g/l Plantagar), with the abaxial surface of each explant in contact with the medium. Approximately 7 explants are transferred per plate, which are then sealed and maintained in a lit incubator at 25° C. for a 16 hour photoperiod for 3 days.

Explants are then transferred onto NBM medium containing 100 mg/l Kanamycin plus antibiotics to prevent further growth of Agrobacterium (200 mg/l timentin with 250 mg/l carbenicillin). Further subculture onto this same medium was then performed every 2 weeks.

As shoots start to regenerate from the callusing leaf explants, these are removed to Shoot elongation medium (MS medium, 30 g/l sucrose, 8 g/l Plantagar, 100 mg/l Kanamycin, 200 mg/l timentin, 250 mg/l carbenicillin, pH 5.9). Stable transgenic plants readily root within 2 weeks. To provide multiple plants per event to ultimately allow more than one herbicide test per transgenic plant, all rooting shoots are micropropagated to generate 3 or more rooted clones.

Putative transgenic plants that are rooting and showing vigorous shoot growth on the medium incorporating Kanamycin are analysed by PCR using primers that amplified a 500 bp fragment within the HPPD transgene. Evaluation of this same primer set on untransformed tobacco showed conclusively that these primers would not amplify sequences from the native tobacco HPPD gene.

Transformed shoots are divided into 2 or 3 clones and regenerated from kanamycin resistant callus. Shoots are rooted on MS agar containing kanamycin. Surviving rooted explants are re-rooted to provide approximately 70-80 kanamycin resistant and PCR-positive events from each event.

Once rooted, plantlets are transferred from agar and potted into 50% peat, 50% John Innes Soil No. 3 with slow-release fertilizer in 3 inch round pots and left regularly watered to establish for 8-12d in the glass house. Glass house conditions are about 24-27° C. day; 18-21° C. night and approximately a 14 h photoperiod. Humidity is adjusted to ˜65% and light levels used are up to 2000 μmol/m² at bench level.

Two transgenic populations each of about 80 tobacco plants and comprising, alternatively, an HPPD gene encoding HPPD SEQ ID NO:14 or HPPD SEQ ID NO:24 within otherwise identical expression cassettes were thus produced. These two populations were grown on until about the 2-4 leaf stage and then each divided into two subpopulations, one comprising those plantlets that had emerged rather larger and more advanced from tissue culture and the other population comprising the smaller plants. Thus the small sized populations of SEQ ID NO:14 and SEQ ID NO:24 appeared visually similar to comparable each other as did the two populations of larger sized plants.

The two smaller populations were each then sprayed with 300 g/ha of mesotrione and the two larger populations with 500 g/ha. Callisto® was mixed in water with 0.2-0.25% X-77 surfactant and sprayed from a boom on a suitable track sprayer moving at 2 mph with the nozzle about 2 inches from the plant tops. Spray volume was 200 l/ha.

Plants were assessed for damage and scored at 13 days after treatment (DAT). All four populations appeared highly resistant to the herbicide treatments but the SEQ ID NO:24 HPPD expressing populations more so than the control SEQ ID NO:14 populations. From the two larger-sized populations sprayed with 500 g/ha only 4 of 38 (10%) morphologically normal PCR positive plants (one emerged chimeric) expressing SEQ ID NO:24 exhibited symptoms of herbicide damage whereas 9 out of a total of 33 (27%) of SEQ ID NO:14 expressing plants exhibited damage. There was little damage to see on the two smaller-sized populations sprayed with 300 g/ha mesotrione; here 2 of 28 SEQ ID NO:24 expressing plants exhibited visible herbicide damage as compared with 4 of 26 SEQ ID NO:14 expressing plants.

Plants of events showing the least damage are grown to flowering, then bagged and allowed to self. The seed from selected events are collected and sown again in pots, and tested again for herbicide resistance in a spray test for resistance to HPPD herbicide (for example mesotrione). Single copy events amongst the T1 plant lines are identified by their 3:1 segregation ratio (with respect to kanamycin and/or herbicide) and by quantitative RT-PCR. Seed from the thus selected T1 tobacco (var. Samsun) lines are sown in 3 inch diameter pots containing 50% peat and 50% John Innes Soil No. 3.

Example 4 Construction of Soybean Transformation Vectors

Binary vectors for dicot (soybean) transformation were constructed with a promoter, such as a synthetic promoter containing a CaMV 35S and an FMV transcriptional enhancer and a synthetic TATA box driving the expression of an HPPD coding sequence, such as SEQ ID NO:24, followed by Nos gene 3′ terminator. The HPPD gene was codon-optimized for soybean expression based upon the predicted amino acid sequence of the HPPD gene coding region. In the case that HPPD itself was not used as the selectable marker, Agrobacterium binary transformation vectors containing an HPPD expression cassette were constructed by adding a transformation selectable marker gene. For example, binary transformation vector 17146 (SEQ ID NO:33) contains an expression cassette for HPPD variant (SEQ ID NO:24) linked with two PAT gene cassettes (one with the 35S promoter and one with the CMP promoter, and both PAT genes are followed by the nos terminator) for glufosinate based selection during the transformation process. Another binary transformation vector (17147) (SEQ ID NO:34) contains the HPPD variant (SEQ ID NO:24) expression cassette and also an EPSPS selectable marker cassette. Vector 17147 was transformed into soybean and transgenic plants were obtained using glyphosate selection after Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of immature seed targets. Similarly, binary vector 15764, (SEQ ID NO:35) was constructed to comprise expression cassettes to express HPPD (SEQ ID NO:14) along with a bar selectable marker gene and binary vector 17149 (SEQ ID NO:36) was constructed to comprise an expression cassette expressing HPPD variant (SEQ ID NO:26) along with two PAT gene cassettes. In all cases the DNA sequences encoding the HPPD genes were codon-optimized for expression in soybean.

The Binary Vectors described above were constructed using a combination of methods well known to those skilled in the art such as overlap PCR, DNA synthesis, restriction fragment sub-cloning and ligation. Their unique structures are made explicit in FIGS. 6 (vector 17146), 7 (vector 17147), 8 (vector 15764), and 9 (vector 17149), and in the sequence listings (SEQ ID NOS:33-36). Additional information regarding the vectors shown in FIGS. 6-9 are provided below.

The abbreviations used in FIG. 6 (vector 17146) are defined as follows:

cAvHPPD-04

-   -   Start: 1024 End: 2343     -   Soybean codon optimized Oat HPPD gene encoding SEQ ID NO 24

cPAT-03-01

-   -   Start: 3209 End: 3760     -   PAT Hoescht A02774 synthetic S. viridochromogenes, plant codons;         identical to Q57146 phosphinothricin acetyl transferase protein

cPAT-03-02

-   -   Start: 5062 End: 5613     -   PAT Q57146 S. viridochromogenes phosphinothricin acetyl         transferase protein, cPAT-03-01 DNA, with mutated BamH1, Bgl2         sites

cSpec-03

-   -   Start: 6346 End: 7134     -   Also called aadA; gene encoding the enzyme aminoglycoside 3′         adenyltransferase that confers resistance to spectinomycin and         streptomycin for maintenance of the vector in E. coli and         Agrobacterium. aka cSPEC-03

cVirG-01

-   -   Start: 7434 End: 8159     -   virG (putative) from pAD1289 with TTG start codon. virGN54D came         from pAD1289 described in Hansen et al. 1994, PNAS 91:7603-7607

cRepA-01

-   -   Start: 8189 End: 9262     -   RepA, pVS1 replication protein

eNOS-01

-   -   Start: 168 End: 259     -   Putative NOS enhancer sequence from 15235 as found in the right         border of certain binary vectors.

eFMV-03

-   -   Start: 396 End: 589     -   enhancer region from Figwort mosaic virus (FMV)

e35S-05

-   -   Start: 596 End: 888     -   C to T & C to A by changes in Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S         enhancer region

eTMV-02

-   -   Start: 953 End: 1020     -   TMV Omega 5′UTR leader seq thought to enhance expression. EMBL:         TOTMV6

eFMV-03

-   -   Start: 4054 End: 4247     -   enhancer region from Figwort mosaic virus (FMV)

e35S-05

-   -   Start: 4254 End: 4546     -   C to T & C to A by changes in Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S         enhancer region

eNOS-01

-   -   Start: 4557 End: 4648     -   Putative NOS enhancer sequence from 15235 as found in the right         border of certain binary vectors.

bNRB-05

-   -   Start: 4 End: 259 (Complementary)     -   Right border/NOS T-DNA region; may influence promoters. EMBL no:         J01826, V00087, AF485783.

bNRB-01-01

-   -   Start: 101 End: 125 (Complementary)     -   Right Border Repeat of T-DNA of Agrobacterium tumefaciens         nopaline ti-plasmid

bNLB-03

-   -   Start: 5937 End: 6066 (Complementary)     -   Left border region of T-DNA of Agrobacterium tumefaciens         nopaline ti-plasmid

bNRB-01-01

-   -   Start: 5972 End: 5996 (Complementary)     -   25 bp Left border repeat region of T-DNA of Agrobacterium         tumefaciens nopaline ti-plasmid

prCMP-04

-   -   Start: 4655 End: 5051     -   Cestrum Yellow leaf curl virus promoter & leader (start         aagggagc?). genbank AF364175. US20040086447. prCMP-01 with 1         base pair truncation on 5′ end and 2 base pair truncation on 3′         end

pr35S-04-01

-   -   Start: 2664 End: 3184     -   35S promoter from Cauliflower Mosaic Virus. EMBL: CAMVG2

oVS1-02

-   -   Start: 9305 End: 9709     -   origin of replication and partitioning region from plasmid pVS1         of Pseudomonas (Itoh et al. 1984, Plasmid 11: 206-220); similar         to GenBank Accession Number U10487; serves as origin of         replication in Agrobacterium tumefaciens host

oCOLE-06

-   -   Start: 10387 End: 11193 (Complementary)     -   The ColE1 origin of replication functional in E. coli derived         from pUC19

tNOS-05-01

-   -   Start: 2360 End: 2612     -   synthetic Nopaline synthetase terminator

tNOS-05-01

-   -   Start: 3794 End: 4046     -   synthetic Nopaline synthetase terminator

tNOS-05-01

-   -   Start: 5642 End: 5894     -   synthetic Nopaline synthetase terminator

The abbreviations used in FIG. 7 (vector 17147) are defined as follows:

cAvHPPD-04

-   -   Start: 1024 End: 2343     -   Soybean codon optimized Oat HPPD gene encoding SEQ ID NO 24

cGmEPSPS-01

-   -   Start: 3672 End: 5249     -   Soybean codon-optimized version of double mutant soybean EPSPS         cDNA

cSpec-03

-   -   Start: 5982 End: 6770     -   Also called aadA; gene encoding the enzyme aminoglycoside         3′adenyltransferase that confers resistance to spectinomycin and         streptomycin for maintenance of the vector in E. coli and         Agrobacterium. aka cSPEC-03

cVirG-01

-   -   Start: 7070 End: 7795     -   virG (putative) from pAD1289 with TTG start codon. virGN54D came         from pAD1289 described in Hansen et al. 1994, PNAS 91:7603-7607

cRepA-01

-   -   Start: 7825 End: 8898     -   RepA, pVS1 replication protein     -   Original Location Description:

eNOS-01

-   -   Start: 168 End: 259     -   Putative NOS enhancer sequence from 15235 as found in the right         border of certain binary vectors.

eFMV-03

-   -   Start: 396 End: 589     -   enhancer region from Figwort mosaic virus (FMV)

e35S-05

-   -   Start: 596 End: 888     -   C to T & C to A by changes in Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S         enhancer region

eTMV-02

-   -   Start: 953 End: 1020     -   TMV Omega 5′UTR leader seq thought to enhance expression. EMBL:         TOTMV6

eFMV-03

-   -   Start: 2664 End: 2857     -   enhancer region from Figwort mosaic virus (FMV)

e35S-05

-   -   Start: 2864 End: 3156     -   C to T & C to A by changes in Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S         enhancer region

eNOS-01

-   -   Start: 3167 End: 3258     -   Putative NOS enhancer sequence from 15235 as found in the right         border of certain binary vectors.

bNRB-05

-   -   Start: 4 End: 259 (Complementary)     -   Right border/NOS T-DNA region; may influence promoters. EMBL no:         J01826, V00087, AF485783.

bNRB-01-01

-   -   Start: 101 End: 125 (Complementary)     -   Right Border Repeat of T-DNA of Agrobacterium tumefaciens         nopaline ti-plasmid

bNLB-03

-   -   Start: 5573 End: 5702 (Complementary)     -   Left border region of T-DNA of Agrobacterium tumefaciens         nopaline ti-plasmid

bNLB-01-01

-   -   Start: 5608 End: 5632 (Complementary)     -   25 bp Left border repeat region of T-DNA of Agrobacterium         tumefaciens nopaline ti-plasmid

prCMP-04

-   -   Start: 3265 End: 3661     -   Cestrum Yellow leaf curl virus promoter & leader (start         aagggagc?). genbank AF364175. US20040086447. prCMP-01 with 1         base pair truncation on 5′ end and 2 base pair truncation on 3′         end     -   Original Location Description:

oVS1-02

-   -   Start: 8941 End: 9345     -   origin of replication and partitioning region from plasmid pVS1         of Pseudomonas (Itoh et al. 1984, Plasmid 11: 206-220); similar         to GenBank Accession Number U10487; serves as origin of         replication in Agrobacterium tumefaciens host

oCOLE-06

-   -   Start: 10023 End: 10829 (Complementary)

The ColE1 origin of replication functional in E. coli derived from pUC19

tNOS-05-01

-   -   Start: 2360 End: 2612     -   synthetic Nopaline synthetase terminator

tNOS-05-01

-   -   Start: 5278 End: 5530     -   synthetic Nopaline synthetase terminator

The abbreviations used in FIG. 8 (vector 15764) are defined as follows:

cAvHPPD-03

-   -   Start: 450 End: 1769 (Complementary)     -   Soybean codon optimized Oat HPPD gene encoding SEQ ID NO 14

cPATBAR-07

-   -   Start: 3034 End: 3585     -   BAR X17220 S. hygroscopicus gene (mutated Bgl2 site), caa35093         phosphinothricin acetyl transferase protein.

cSpec-03

-   -   Start: 4334 End: 5122     -   streptomycin adenylyltransferase; from Tn7 (aadA)

cVirG-01

-   -   Start: 5422 End: 6147     -   Virulence G gene from Agrobacterium tumefaciens(virGN54D,         containing TTG start codon) virGN54D came from pAD 1289         described in Hansen et al. 1994, PNAS 91:7603-7607

cRepA-03

-   -   Start: 6177 End: 7250     -   RepA, pVS1 replication protein with A to Gat nt735

eTMV-02

-   -   Start: 1773 End: 1840 (Complementary)     -   Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV_Omega 5′UTR leader seq thought to         enhance expression.     -   EMBL: TOTMV6

e35S-05

-   -   Start: 1905 End: 2197 (Complementary)     -   Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S enhancer region with C to T & C to         A by changes.

eFMV-03

-   -   Start: 2204 End: 2397 (Complementary)     -   Figwort mosaic virus enhancer.

bNRB-04

-   -   Start: 5 End: 144 (Complementary)     -   Right border region of T-DNA of Agrobacterium tumefaciens         nopaline ti-plasmid.     -   Differs from bNRB-03 by 20 by at 5′ end.

bNRB-01-01

-   -   Start: 102 End: 126 (Complementary)     -   Right Border Repeat of T-DNA of Agrobacterium tumefaciens         nopaline ti-plasmid.

bNLB-03

-   -   Start: 3925 End: 4054 (Complementary)     -   Left border region of T-DNA from Agrobacterium tumefaciens         nopaline ti-plasmid. (Zambryski et al. 1980, Science,         209:1385-1391) EMBL no: J01825.

bNLB-01-01

-   -   Start: 3960 End: 3984 (Complementary)     -   25 bp Left border region of T-DNA of Agrobacterium tumefaciens         nopaline ti-plasmid.

pr35S-04-01

-   -   Start: 2494 End: 3014     -   35S promoter; map originally defined promoter as 641 bp long; no         exact match found in literature (LF July 2004)

oVS1-02

-   -   Start: 7293 End: 7697     -   origin of replication and partitioning region from plasmid pVS1         of Pseudomonas (Itoh et al. 1984, Plasmid 11: 206-220); similar         to GenBank Accession Number U10487; serves as origin of         replication in Agrobacterium tumefaciens host

oCOLE-06

-   -   Start: 8375 End: 9181 (Complementary)     -   ColE1 origin of replication functional in E. coli

tNOS-05-01

-   -   Start: 181 End: 433 (Complementary)     -   NOS terminator: 3′UTR of the nopaline synthase gene

tNOS-05-01

-   -   Start: 3619 End: 3871     -   NOS terminator: 3′UTR of the nopaline synthase gene

The abbreviations used in FIG. 9 (vector 17149) are defined as follows:

cAvHPPD-05

-   -   Start: 1024 End: 2343     -   Soybean codon optimized sequence encoding HPPD SEQ ID NO 26

cPAT-03-01

-   -   Start: 3209 End: 3760     -   PAT Hoescht A02774 synthetic S. viridochromogenes, plant codons;         identical to Q57146 phosphinothricin acetyl transferase protein

cPAT-03-02

-   -   Start: 5062 End: 5613     -   PAT Q57146 S. viridochromogenes phosphinothricin acetyl         transferase protein, cPAT-03-01 DNA, with mutated BamH1, Bgl2         sites

cSpec-03

-   -   Start: 6346 End: 7134     -   Also called aadA; gene encoding the enzyme aminoglycoside 3′         adenyltransferase that confers resistance to spectinomycin and         streptomycin for maintenance of the vector in E. coli and         Agrobacterium. aka cSPEC-03

cVirG-01

-   -   Start: 7434 End: 8159     -   virG (putative) from pAD1289 with TTG start codon. virGN54D came         from pAD1289 described in Hansen et al. 1994, PNAS 91:7603-7607

cRepA-01

-   -   Start: 8189 End: 9262     -   RepA, pVS1 replication protein     -   Original Location Description

eNOS-01

-   -   Start: 168 End: 259     -   Putative NOS enhancer sequence from 15235 as found in the right         border of certain binary vectors.

eFMV-03

-   -   Start: 396 End: 589     -   enhancer region from Figwort mosaic virus (FMV)

e35S-05

-   -   Start: 596 End: 888     -   C to T & C to A by changes in Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S         enhancer region

eTMV-02

-   -   Start: 953 End: 1020     -   TMV Omega 5′UTR leader seq thought to enhance expression. EMBL:         TOTMV6

eFMV-03

-   -   Start: 4054 End: 4247     -   enhancer region from Figwort mosaic virus (FMV)

e35S-05

-   -   Start: 4254 End: 4546

eNOS-01

-   -   Start: 4557 End: 4648     -   Putative NOS enhancer sequence from 15235 as found in the right         border of certain binary vectors

bNRB-05

-   -   Start: 4 End: 259 (Complementary)     -   Right border/NOS T-DNA region; may influence promoters. EMBL no:         J01826, V00087, AF485783.

bNRB-01-01

-   -   Start: 101 End: 125 (Complementary)     -   Right Border Repeat of T-DNA of Agrobacterium tumefaciens         nopaline ti-plasmid

bNLB-03

-   -   Start: 5937 End: 6066 (Complementary)     -   Left border region of T-DNA of Agrobacterium tumefaciens         nopaline ti-plasmid

bNLB-01-01

-   -   Start: 5972 End: 5996 (Complementary)     -   25 bp Left border repeat region of T-DNA of Agrobacterium         tumefaciens nopaline ti-plasmid

prCMP-04

-   -   Start: 4655 End: 5051     -   Cestrum Yellow leaf curl virus promoter & leader (start         aagggagc?). genbank AF364175. US20040086447. prCMP-01 with 1         base pair truncation on 5′ end and 2 base pair truncation on 3′         end

pr35S-04-01

-   -   Start: 2664 End: 3184     -   35s promoter from CaMV. EMBL: CAMVG2 (100% match against this         EMBL record)

oVS1-02

-   -   Start: 9305 End: 9709     -   origin of replication and partitioning region from plasmid pVS1         of Pseudomonas (Itoh et al. 1984, Plasmid 11: 206-220); similar         to GenBank Accession Number L110487; serves as origin of         replication in Agrobacterium tumefaciens host

oCOLE-06

-   -   Start: 10387 End: 11193 (Complementary)     -   The ColE1 origin of replication functional in E. coli derived         from pUC19

tNOS-05-01

-   -   Start: 2360 End: 2612     -   synthetic Nopaline synthetase terminator

tNOS-05-01

-   -   Start: 3794 End: 4046     -   synthetic Nopaline synthetase terminator

tNOS-05-01

-   -   Start: 5642 End: 5894     -   synthetic Nopaline synthetase terminator

Example 5 Transformation of Soybean and Selection of Herbicide-Resistant Plants

Soybean plant material can be suitably transformed and fertile plants regenerated by many methods which are well known to one of skill in the art. For example, fertile morphologically normal transgenic soybean plants may be obtained by: 1) production of somatic embryogenic tissue from, e.g., immature cotyledon, hypocotyl or other suitable tissue; 2) transformation by particle bombardment or infection with Agrobacterium; and 3) regeneration of plants. In one example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,944, cotyledon tissue is excised from immature embryos of soybean, preferably with the embryonic axis removed, and cultured on hormone-containing medium so as to form somatic embryogthic plant material. This material is transformed using, for example, direct DNA methods, DNA coated microprojectile bombardment or infection with Agrobacterium, cultured on a suitable selection medium and regenerated, optionally also in the continued presence of selecting agent, into fertile transgenic soybean plants. Selection agents may be antibiotics such as kanamycin, hygromycin, or herbicides such as phosphonothricin or glyphosate or, alternatively, selection may be based upon expression of a visualisable marker gene such as GUS. Alternatively, target tissues for transformation comprise meristematic rather than somaclonal embryogenic tissue or, optionally, is flower or flower-forming tissue. Other examples of soybean transformations can be found, e.g. by physical DNA delivery method, such as particle bombardment (Finer and McMullen (1991) In Vitro Cell Dev. Biol. 27P:175-182; McCabe et al. (1988) Bio/technology 6:923-926), whisker (Khalafalla et al. (2006) African J. of Biotechnology 5:1594-1599), aerosol bean injection (U.S. Pat. No. 7,001,754), or by Agrobacterium-mediated delivery methods (Hinchee et al. (1988) Bio/Technology 6:915-922; U.S. Pat. No. 7,002,058; U.S. Patent App. Pub. No. 20040034889; U.S. Patent App. Pub. No. 20080229447; Paz et al. (2006) Plant Cell Report 25:206-213). The HPPD gene can also be delivered into organelle such as plastid to confer increased herbicide resistance (U.S. Patent App. Pub. No. 20070039075).

Soybean transgenic plants can be generated with the above described binary vectors (Example 4) containing HPPD gene variants with different transformation methods. Optionally, the HPPD gene can provide the means of selection and identification of transgenic tissue. For example, a vector was used to transform immature seed targets as described (U.S. Patent App. Pub. No. 20080229447) to generate transgenic HPPD soybean plants directly using HPPD inhibitor, such as mesotrione, as selection agent. Optionally, HPPD genes can be present in the polynucleotide alongside other sequences which provide additional means of selection/identification of transformed tissue including, for example, the known genes which provide resistance to kanamycin, hygromycin, phosphinothricin, butafenacil, or glyphosate. For example, different binary vectors containing PAT or EPSPS selectable marker genes as described in Example 4 were transformed into immature soybean seed target to generate HPPD herbicide tolerant plants using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and glufosinate or glyphosate selection as described (U.S. Patent App. Pub. No. 20080229447).

Alternatively selectable marker sequences may be present on separate polynucleotides and a process of, for example, co-transformation and co-selection is used. Alternatively, rather than a selectable marker gene, a scorable marker gene such as GUS may be used to identify transformed tissue.

An Agrobacterium-based method for soybean transformation can be used to generate transgenic plants using glufosinate, glyphosate or HPPD inhibitor mesotrione as selection agent using immature soybean seeds as described (U.S. Patent App. Pub. No. 20080229447).

Example 6 Soybean Transgenic Plant Growth, Analysis and Herbicide Tolerance Evaluation

T0 plants were taken from tissue culture to the greenhouse where they were transplanted into water-saturated soil (REDI-EARTH® Plug and Seedling Mix, Sun Gro Horticulture, Bellevue, Wash., or Fafard Germinating Mix) mixed with 1% granular MARATHON® (Olympic Horticultural Products, Co., Mainland, Pa.) at 5-10 g/gal soil in 2″ square pots. The plants were covered with humidity domes and placed in a Conviron chamber (Pembina, N. Dak.) with the following environmental conditions: 24° C. day; 20° C. night; 16-23 hr light-1-8 hrs dark photoperiod; 80% relative humidity.

After plants became established in the soil and new growth appeared (˜1-2 weeks), plants were sampled and tested for the presence of desired transgene by TAQMAN® analysis using appropriate probes for the HPPD genes, or promoters (for example prCMP). Positive plants were transplanted into 4″ square pots containing Fafard #3 soil. Sierra 17-6-12 slow release fertilizer was incorporated into the soil at the recommended rate. The plants were then relocated into a standard greenhouse to acclimatize (˜1 week). The environmental conditions were: 27° C. day; 21° C. night; 14 hr photoperiod (with supplemental light); ambient humidity. After acclimatizing (˜1 week), the plants were sampled and tested in detail for the presence and copy number of inserted transgenes. Transgenic soybean plants were grown to maturity for T1 seed production. T1 plants were grown up, and after TAQMAN® analysis, homozygous plants were grown for seed production. Transgenic seeds and progeny plants were used to further evaluate their herbicide tolerance performance and molecular characteristics.

Homozygous soybean plants from 2 events made with vector 15764 (FIG. 8) and multiple events made with vector 17147 (FIG. 7) expressing SEQ ID NO:14 and SEQ ID NO:24, respectively, from identical HPPD expression cassettes were grown and tested for tolerance to a range of HPPD herbicide. Table 8 summarises the results of these tests from plants sprayed at the V2 growth stage. Each data point represents the average damage score from n=7 replicates.

TABLE 8 Results of Herbicide Spray Tests Against Vector 15764 and 17147 Soybean Events Chemical applied B C IFT E EVENT/ 420 g/ha 840 g/ha 400 g/ha 420 g/ha 368 g/ha HPPD SEQ % dam. S.D. % dam. S.D. % dam. S.D. % dam. S.D. % dam. S.D. 1/SEQ#14 11.4 4.8 9.3 3.6 42.1 8.1 26.4 6.9 36.4 4.8 2/SEQ#14 20.7 3.4 22.1 3.9 52.9 9.9 42.5 4.2 52.1 7 S3/SEQ#24 15.3 2.4 15.3 3.7 62.1 6.4 30 4.1 51.4 6.3 T0/SEQ#24 8.3 2.1 5.3 2.1 45 4.1 19.3 5.3 39.3 11.7 S7/SEQ#24 10.6 2.4 6.9 2.4 45 4.1 20.7 3.4 41.4 3.8 S8/SEQ#24 18.6 4.2 19.3 3.4 68.6 6.9 31.3 4.8 80 21.4 SF/SEQ#24 15.7 3.9 25 5.8 98.6 3.8 40 5.8 97.1 7.6 Jack w/t 82.9 8.6 83.6 4.8 82.1 3.9 96.1 3.5 84.3 8.4

Event 1 was most tolerant to mesotrione, and event 2 was the second most tolerant 15764 event selected from a population of about ninety. These events were used to compare the performance of five 17147 events. Four of these, SF, S8, S7 and S3 had not been preselected for tolerance level (other than to confirm resistance, non-chimerical nature and the presence of the gene) while the remaining event, T0, had been preselected as the most resistant out of five 17147 events in a preliminary field test.

Plants were in 4×4×4 inch plastic pots and grown under a 15/9 hour light regime (daylight supplemented by artificial light in greenhouses) at a minimum night-time temperature of 18° C. and maximum daytime temperature of 27° C. Soil was regular VBRC mix (1:1 mixture of Vero field soil and Fafard Mix II) where Vero field soil is 98% sand and 2% clay. Treatments with compound B,=CALLISTO® 4 SC (480 g ai/L), with compound C (200 g ai/L) EC, with IFT=Balance Pro 4 SC (480 g ai/L), and with compound E=Laudis 3.5 SC (420 g ai/L) included 0.25% v/v INDUCE (a non-ionic surfactant) and ammonium sulfate (N-PAK liquid AMS) at a rate equivalent to 8.5 lbs/gallon. Spray volume was 150 L/ha and the damage scores reflect assessments at 14 DAT.

It is striking that, from such a small pool of 17147 events all five tested provided tolerance to mesotrione and to isoxaflutole equivalent to one of the best 15764 events, event 2, and indeed that two of them, T0 and S7 exceed the performance of the most tolerant 15764 event, event 1, that was selected from many.

The in vitro data, and in particular the off rate data, show that SEQ ID NO:24 is 2 and 2.3 fold superior to SEQ ID NO:14 in respect of B and IFT but neutral in respect of C and E. In accord with this is the fact that the SEQ ID NO:24 HPPD expressing plants displayed a similarly altered pattern of herbicide tolerance. Thus, for example, events SF and S8 exhibits similar or better tolerance to both IFT and B than does 6W but, unlike 6W, essentially no tolerance to either compound E or C. Similarly, the only 17147 events, T0 and S7, to exhibit tolerance to E and C that is close to that of event 4R also exhibit superior tolerance than 4R to B and IFT. The in vitro data have predictive value in planta and SEQ ID NO:24 provides improved tolerance to mesotrione and IFT but not, for example, to tembotrione.

All publications and patent applications mentioned in the specification are indicative of the level of those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains. All publications and patent applications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the appended claims. 

1. A polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide having at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:27, wherein said polypeptide has HPPD enzymatic activity and comprises the amino acid sequence G(I,V) LVD(R,K)D (SEQ ID NO:30), wherein L is replaced with any other amino acid.
 2. The polynucleotide according to claim 1 selected from the group consisting of: a) a polynucleotide comprising the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:11; b) a polynucleotide having at least 85% sequence identity to the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 11; c) a polynucleotide encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 24; d) a polynucleotide encoding the amino acid sequence of a polypeptide having at least 80% sequence identity the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 24, wherein said polypeptide has HPPD enzymatic activity.
 3. The polynucleotide of claim 1, wherein the nucleotide sequence is optimized for expression in a plant.
 4. An expression cassette comprising the polynucleotide of claim 1 operably linked to a promoter that drives expression in a plant or plant cell.
 5. The expression cassette of claim 4 further comprising an operably linked polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide that confers a desirable trait.
 6. The expression cassette of claim 5, wherein said desirable trait is resistance or tolerance to an herbicide.
 7. The expression cassette of claim 6, wherein said desirable trait is resistance or tolerance to an HPPD inhibitor, glyphosate, or glufosinate.
 8. The expression cassette of claim 7, wherein said polypeptide that confers a desirable trait is a cytochrome P450 or variant thereof.
 9. The expression cassette of claim 8, wherein said polypeptide that confers a desirable trait is an EPSPS (5-enol-pyrovyl-shikimate-3-phosphate-synthase).
 10. The expression cassette of claim 8, wherein said polypeptide that confers a desirable trait is a phosphinothricin acetyl transferase.
 11. A vector comprising an expression cassette according to claim
 4. 12. The vector of claim 11, wherein said vector comprises a polynucleotide comprising the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:33, 34, 35, or
 36. 13. A method for conferring resistance or tolerance to an HPPD inhibitor in a plant, said method comprising introducing into said plant at least one expression cassette according to claim
 4. 14. A transformed plant cell comprising at least one expression cassette according to claim
 4. 15. The plant cell of claim 14, wherein said plant cell is a rice, barley, potato, sweet potato, canola, sunflower, rye, oats, wheat, corn, soybean, sugar beet, tobacco, Miscanthus grass, Switch grass, safflower, trees, cotton, cassava, tomato, sorghum, alfalfa, sugar beet, and sugarcane plant cell.
 16. The plant cell of claim 15, wherein said plant cell is a soybean plant cell.
 17. A plant, plant part, or seed comprising the plant cell of claim
 14. 18. A method of controlling weeds at a locus, said method comprising applying to said locus a weed-controlling amount of one or more HPPD inhibitors, wherein said locus comprises a plant according to claim
 17. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein said HPPD inhibitor is selected from the group consisting of: a) a compound of formula (Ia)

wherein R¹ and R² are hydrogen or together form an ethylene bridge; R³ is hydroxy or phenylthio-; R⁴ is halogen, nitro, C₁-C₄alkyl, C₁-C₄alkoxy-C₁-C₄alkyl-, C₁-C₄alkoxy-C₁-C₄alkoxy-C₁-C₄alkyl-; X is methine, nitrogen, or C—R⁵ wherein R⁵ is hydrogen, C₁-C₄alkoxy, C₁-C₄haloalkoxy-C₁-C₄alkyl-, or a group

and R⁶ is C₁-C₄alkylsulfonyl- or C₁-C₄haloalkyl; b) a compound of formula (Ib)

R¹ and R² are independently C₁-C₄alkyl; and the free acids thereof; c) a compound of formula (Ic)

wherein R¹ is hydroxy, phenylcarbonyl-C₁-C₄alkoxy- or phenylcarbonyl-C₁-C₄alkoxy- wherein the phenyl moiety is substituted in para-position by halogen or C₁-C₄alkyl, or phenylsulfonyloxy- or phenylsulfonyloxy- wherein the phenyl moiety is substituted in para-position by halogen or C₁-C₄alkyl; R² is C₁-C₄alkyl; R³ is hydrogen or C₁-C₄alkyl; R⁴ and R⁶ are independently halogen, C₁-C₄alkyl, C₁-C₄haloalkyl, or C₁-C₄alkylsulfonyl-; and R⁵ is hydrogen, C₁-C₄alkyl, C₁-C₄alkoxy-C₁-C₄alkoxy-, or a group

d) a compound of formula (Id)

wherein R¹ is hydroxy; R² is C₁-C₄alkyl; R³ is hydrogen; and R⁴, R⁵ and R⁶ are independently C₁-C₄alkyl; e) a compound of formula (Ie)

wherein R¹ is cyclopropyl; R² and R⁴ are independently halogen, C₁-C₄haloalkyl, or C₁-C₄alkylsulfonyl-; and R³ is hydrogen; f) a compound of formula (If)

wherein R¹ is cyclopropyl; R² and R⁴ are independently halogen, C₁-C₄haloalkyl, or C₁-C₄alkylsulfonyl-; and R³ is hydrogen; and g) a compound of formula (Ig) or Formula (Ih)

wherein:— R² is selected from the group consisting of C₁-C₃alkyl, C₁-C₃haloalkyl, C₁-C₃alkoxy-C₁-C₃ alkyl and C₁-C₃alkoxy-C₂-C₃alkoxy-C₁-C₃-alkyl; R⁵ is hydrogen or methyl; R⁶ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, fluorine, chlorine, hydroxyl and methyl; R⁷ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, hydroxyl, sulfhydryl, C₁-C₆alkyl, C₃-C₆cycloalkyl, C₁-C₆haloalkyl, C₂-C₆haloalkenyl, C₂-C₆alkenyl, C₃-C₆alkynyl, C₁-C₆alkoxy, C₄-C₇ cycloalkoxy, C₁-C₆haloalkoxy, C₁-C₆alkylthio, C₁-C₆alkylsulfinyl, C₁-C₆alkylsulfonyl, C₁-C₆haloalkylthio, amino, C₁-C₆alkylamino, C₂-C₆dialkylamino, C₂-C₆dialkylaminosulfonyl, C₁-C₆alkylaminosulfonyl, C₁-C₆alkoxy-C₁-C₆alkyl, C₁-C₆alkoxy-C₂-C₆alkoxy, C₁-C₆alkoxy-C₂-C₆alkoxy-C₁-C₆-alkyl, C₃-C₆alkenyl-C₂-C₆alkoxy, C₃-C₆alkynyl-C₁-C₆alkoxy, C₁-C₆alkoxycarbonyl, C₁-C₆alkylcarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkylenyl-S(O)p-R′, C₁-C₄alkyleneyl-CO₂—R′, C₁-C₄alkyleneyl-(CO)N—R′R′, phenyl, phenylthio, phenylsulfinyl, phenylsulfonyl, phenoxy, pyrrolidinyl, piperidinyl, morpholinyl and 5 or 6-membered heteroaryl or heteroaryloxy, the heteroaryl containing one to three heteroatoms, each independently selected from the group consisting of oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur, wherein the phenyl or heteroaryl component may be optionally substituted by a substituent selected from the group consisting of C₁-C₃alkyl, C₁-C₃haloalkyl, C₁-C₃ alkoxy, C₁-C₃haloalkoxy, halo, cyano, and nitro; X=O or S; n=0 or 1; m=0 or 1 with the proviso that if m=1 then n=0 and if n=1 then m=0; p=0, 1, or 2; R′ is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and C₁-C₆alkyl; R⁸ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C₁-C₆alkyl, C₁-C₆haloalkyl, C₁-C₆alkylcarbonyl-C₁-C₃alkyl, C₃-C₆cycloalkylalkeneyl for example cyclohexylmethylenyl, C₃-C₆alkynylalkyleneyl for example propargyl, C₂-C₆-alkenylalkylenyl for example allyl, C₁-C₆alkoxy C₁-C₆alkyl, cyano-C₁-C₆-alkyl, arylcarbonyl-C₁-C₃-alkyl (wherein the aryl may be optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of halo, C₁-C₃-alkoxy, C₁-C₃-alkyl, C₁-C₃ haloalkyl), aryl-C₁-C₆alkyl (wherein the aryl may be optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of halo, C₁-C₃-alkoxy, C₁-C₃-alkyl, C₁-C₃ haloalkyl), C₁-C₆alkoxy C₁-C₆alkoxy C₁-C₆alkyl and a 5 or 6-membered heteroaryl-C₁-C₃-alkyl or heterocyclyl-C₁-C₃-alkyl, the heteroaryl or heterocyclyl containing one to three heteroatoms, each independently selected from the group consisting of oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur, wherein the heterocyclyl or heteroaryl component may be optionally substituted by a substituent selected from the group consisting of halo, C₁-C₃alkyl, C₁-C₃haloalkyl, and C₁-C₃ alkoxy; Q is selected from the group consisting of:

wherein A¹ is selected from the group consisting of O, C(O), S, SO, SO₂ and (CR^(e)R^(f))_(q); q=0, 1 or 2; R^(a), R^(b), R^(c), R^(d), R^(e) and R^(f) are each independently selected from the group consisting of C₁-C₄alkyl which may be mono-, di- or tri-substituted by substituents selected from the group consisting of C₁-C₄alkoxy, halogen, hydroxy, cyano, hydroxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkoxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkylthio, C₁-C₄alkylsulfinyl, C₁-C₄alkylsulfonyl, C₁-C₄alkylcarbonyl, phenyl and heteroaryl, it being possible for the phenyl and heteroaryl groups in turn to be mono-, di- or tri-substituted by substituents selected from the group consisting of C₁-C₄alkoxy, halogen, hydroxy, cyano, hydroxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkoxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkylsulfonyl and C₁-C₄haloalkyl, the substituents on the nitrogen in the heterocyclic ring being other than halogen; or R^(a), R^(b), R^(c), R^(d), R^(e) and R^(f) are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C₁-C₄alkoxy, halogen, hydroxy, cyano, hydroxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkoxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkylthio, C₁-C₄alkylsulfinyl, C₁-C₄alkylsulfonyl, C₁-C₄alkylcarbonyl, phenyl or heteroaryl, it being possible for the phenyl and heteroaryl groups in turn to be mono-, di- or tri-substituted by substituents selected from the group consisting of C₁-C₄alkoxy, halogen, hydroxy, cyano, hydroxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkoxycarbonyl, C₁-C₄alkylsulfonyl and C₁-C₄haloalkyl, the substituents on the nitrogen in the heterocyclic ring being other than halogen; or R^(a) and R^(b) together form a 3- to 5-membered carbocyclic ring which may be substituted by C₁-C₄alkyl and may be interrupted by oxygen, sulfur, S(O), SO₂, OC(O), NR^(g) or by C(O); or R^(a) and R^(c) together form a C₁-C₃alkylene chain which may be interrupted by oxygen, sulfur, SO, SO₂, OC(O), NR^(h) or by C(O); it being possible for that C₁-C₃alkylene chain in turn to be substituted by C₁-C₄alkyl; R^(g) and R^(h) are each independently of the other C₁-C₄alkyl, C₁-C₄haloalkyl, C₁-C₄alkylsulfonyl, C₁-C₄alkylcarbonyl or C₁-C₄alkoxycarbonyl; R^(i) is C₁-C₄alkyl; R³ is selected from the group consisting of C₁-C₆alkyl, optionally substituted with halogen and/or C₁-C₃alkoxy; and C₃-C₆ cycloalkyl optionally substituted with halogen and/or C₁-C₃alkoxy; R⁹ is selected from the group consisting of cyclopropyl, CF₃ and i.-Pr; R¹⁰ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, I, Br, SR¹¹, S(O)R¹¹, S(O)₂R¹¹ and CO₂R¹¹; and R¹¹ is C₁₋₄ alkyl.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein said HPPD inhibitor is mesotrione.
 21. The polynucleotide of claim 1, wherein the L is replaced with M in the encoded polypeptide.
 22. The polynucleotide of claim 1, wherein the L is replaced with A in the encoded polypeptide. 